It's a whole new world you live in
by Traitor of All Traitors
Summary: Another crossover of originality. Suppose that Shinji wakes up in an open field and finds an injured animal, the likes of which he has never seen anywhere before, and takes it to get help? Then our most familiar know-it-all has him go on an errand that allows him to experience more of the new world. Suppose Shinji…became a Pokémon Trainer. Read, review, and tell me what you think.
1. It's a whole new world you live in

Creation began on 04-05-16

Creation ended on 04-06-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

It's a whole new world you live in

A/N: In the aftermath of the Twelfth Angel attack, Shinji finds himself in a totally new place with a different type of animal kingdom. The kind you can put in your pocket.

Opening his eyes, the weakened, fourteen-year-old boy known as Shinji Ikari awoke to find himself in an open field, under a tree, in the shade away from the sun's rays.

"Where am I?" He uttered, getting up to his feet and looking around the field, seeing several trees, blades of grass, a clear sky, and a large lake nearby.

Snap. He heard some twigs snapping under something, and saw something emerging from behind a small bush.

"Eee," it went, and Shinji got a good look at the creature.

It looked like a small fox, with brownish fur and a white mane around its neck and front legs. Its eyes were a darker brown or red. In a strange way, it looked rather cute to Shinji. But its back and forehead appeared bruised and mildly bloody, like it had been injured recently, and it seemed to be limping on its right hind leg.

"Wee, eee," it whimpered, dropping to the ground in front of the lake; it was too weak to reach the closest source of drinking water.

Shinji slowly approached the fox-like creature…and, out of a sense of urgency, picked it up and brought it closer to the lake. He watched it dip its mouth into the water and drank its fill for a few seconds before stopping. Then, looking around, Shinji saw a signpost by a tree and went over to it, reading its post.

"' _PALLET TOWN IN ONE MILE (ARROW POINTING LEFT)'_ ," he read off the sign, and then looked down at the creature. "Maybe there's a hospital for you over there."

"Eee," the creature whimpered, and the boy took it with him to this Pallet Town.

-x-

Evangelion Unit-01 was salvaged from the defeated Twelfth Angel, but there was no trace of the Third Child, despite the Entry Plug being miraculously intact in what was left of the cybernetic organism.

"Ritsuko, I should kill you myself right now," Misato threatened the faux-blond woman, devastated by the consequences of her friend's choice in defeating the Angel.

But Ritsuko was confused about how the Third Child could disappear from the plug.

-x-

He finally made it to Pallet Town and stopped by a small house. There was someone sweeping on a front porch, and Shinji went over to ask for directions to a hospital or veterinarian clinic nearby.

"Uh, excuse me," he spoke to the person. "Do you know where I can find a hospital or veterinarian clinic? I found a…"

"Mime?" The person turned to face him, and Shinji was surprised by what he thought was a person that was something else entirely. "Mister Mime?"

Based on appearance alone, the creature resembled a man that had reminded him of those men from a black and white series that had to deal with trouble most of the time, but was more like a clown with thin limbs, large hands and feet, and a large body. It (or he) also had large, pink cheeks and a large, pink circle on its body.

"Mime?"

"Aaahh!" Shinji gasped, and a woman stepped out of the house.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to him. "Did Mr. Mime frighten you?"

"Aah… M…Mr. Mime?" Shinji reacted.

"Wee," the fox-like creature in his arms went, reminding him of its injuries that needed to be tended to.

"I'm sorry, but I found this animal out on a field," he told the woman. "I don't really know where I am, but do you know where I can find a hospital or clinic?"

"There's Professor Oak's lab," she told him, pointing over to a large building that looked like an observatory with a windmill. "He has a medical facility for Pokemon."

"Poke… Thank you," Shinji expressed and ran towards his destination. _Pokemon? What are Pokemon? Was she referring to this creature?_

He wasn't sure what was going on right now, just that this animal was hurt.

-x-

"…While the Eva can be regenerated, the location of the pilot is unknown," Ritsuko informed Gendo after evaluating the damage done to Unit-01.

"Was no trace of the Third Child found among the Angel's remains?" Fuyutsuki asked her.

"There was nothing," she answered.

"Proceed with the regeneration of Unit-01," Gendo ordered her. "Dismissed."

Ritsuko then left the room.

"Was this part of your scenario, Ikari?" Fuyutsuki asked Gendo.

Unfortunately, Gendo didn't respond. In his mind, he was pondering how to adapt his scenario with a missing pilot.

-x-

"…How long has he been sitting near that Eevee?" Tracey asked Professor Oak, referring to Shinji when he brought the Pokemon in for medical attention.

"After it was treated for its injuries and left to recover, he has never left its side," Oak answered.

"I didn't want to say this earlier, but don't you find it odd that he's dressed in a diving suit?"

"I did receive a call from Delia, and she mentioned the boy saying that he didn't know where he was when he found the Eevee. It's likely that he's not from anywhere around here."

"Based on what how he responded when he said he knew nothing about Pokemon, it's safe to assume that…without any doubt…he's not from anyplace where Pokemon exist."

"Some people say that it's possible for other worlds to exist where there aren't any Pokemon. If he is from one of these worlds, then he's likely to have no way of returning to his home."

"Then, he's alone here."

In the room where Eevee was recovering, Shinji looked down at it, having been informed of what it was earlier, and pondered on what to do now.

 _How do people actually survive in a world like this?_ He wondered. _This is like something out of a kid's cartoon. Animals with abilities beyond normal? Animals that are categorized by types and appearances? Fire breathers, water spitters, electrical dischargers? And people actually live with them? They keep them as pets? Entertainment? What sort of world am I in?_

"Excuse me, young man?" He turned towards the door and looked at Professor Oak.

"Uh, yes?" He responded.

"Could I ask a favor of you?"

"Um…what favor?"

"There's an item over in Celadon City that I need picked up, but my usual assistance for such matters is on another journey over in the Johto Region. It's a prototype of a new Poke Ball that was made in Saffron City. You'd be able to take the time to get used to such a new setting."

-x-

Asuka often found herself standing inside Shinji's room every hour for the last two weeks since the Twelfth Angel incident. Ever since he was declared MIA, it was difficult for her to put that day behind her. Mainly because she suspected he was actually dead instead of missing; with the remaining bombs used to destroy the Angel, she knew the chances of anyone surviving, even inside an Eva, were slim to none, and in Shinji's case, the chances were practically nonexistent.

 _Stupid Shinji,_ she thought, picking up his cassette player from off his desk. _Why didn't you just back away? You could've said no, told me to do it myself. Why didn't I stop you?_

-x-

The sunlight was warm and the breeze was comforting as Shinji, dressed in tan shorts, a blue shirt and green windbreaker and carrying a small backpack, stood on the path on the hill overlooking a large city. It had been two weeks, but that was basic time needed for him to learn everything Professor Oak knew about this world he was in now, and after evaluating his age and discovering the type of past he had (and finding that, since he was likely stuck in this world, he was four years overdue for the basic profession of the Kanto Region), a Pokedex was given to him…along with a starter Pokemon. One that he had been familiar with since he arrived.

"Well…shall we get going?" He looked down at the Eevee he met, his first Pokemon.

"Eee!" It, or rather, she responded, jumping off the ground and onto his back and left shoulder, licking his cheek.

"Eh-heh-heh! I'll take that as a yes," Shinji chuckled. "Celadon City's a long way from here, but so long as we're together, I'm sure the journey to get there will be a good one."

"Eee!"

And with his next step, Shinji Ikari had left the world he knew as one occupied by the Evangelions and Angels…and stepped into a completely different place, one occupied by and promising wonders, dangers and a reprieve from the life he once had. He was bound to find new friends, possible rivals and people whose lives were touched by the impossible that existed everywhere around them. This…was the world of Pokemon.

To be continued…

A/N: Here's the pilot chapter. How many of you think Shinji should nickname his Eevee? And how many of you want his second Pokemon to be one from a different region that can be found in Kanto? I want to hear from you what you think should happen!


	2. A new friend and reminders

Creation began on 04-06-16

Creation ended on 04-12-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

A new friend and reminders

"Third time's the charm," went Shinji as he threw his Poke Ball at the exhausted Pokemon in front of him.

It made contact with the creature and it disappeared in a red flash, leaving the ball on the ground, shaking as the Pokemon tried to break from it. A moment later, it stopped shaking and the button on its front that was red turned white, with a small, ringing sound. He went over and picked the ball up, looking back at his Eevee in appreciation.

"We caught a Pidgey, Misato," he told her; since he discovered that most trainers and people often nicknamed their Pokemon, Shinji decided to follow that tradition in order to stay sane and remind himself of the positive side of his past, so his first Pokemon got the nickname of the first person that mattered to him way back then.

In the two weeks that followed after leaving Pallet Town and going through Viridian City and the Viridian Forest, Shinji had managed to capture at least five different Pokemon, including the Pidgey that was attacking most trainers due to being deserted by a previous trainer. In his list of Pokemon, he had an Eevee, a Magikarp that he nicknamed Rei, a Pikachu that he nicknamed Kenji, and a strange Pokemon that he couldn't find in the Kanto Pokedex, only that it was a Rock/Ground-Type. To him, it looked like a small dinosaur with a rock-like hide and a horn on its head that could've been a reminder of Unit-01, but the tail was like an open fan or a broken bowl. It also said something that, to him, sounded like 'Larvitar'.

As he and Misato were closing in on Pewter City, Shinji decided to introduce the building team to their newest member.

"Come on out, everyone!" He said as he threw out his Poke Balls containing the Pokemon he had captured with Misato.

In a nearby pond, Rei popped out of the water, Kenji appeared next to the pond, the Rock/Ground-Type Pokemon appeared on Kenji's left, and the Pidgey hovered over their heads.

"Okay, everyone, meet our newest member," Shinji introduced them to the Pidgey. "I think I'll call you…Kensuke."

The Pidgey flew over and perched onto his left wrist.

"I was told you were abandoned by a previous trainer a while back, but I want you to know that I won't do that to you. You can trust me."

As he learned during his time in Pallet Town, Pokemon were incredibly intelligent, able to understand human speech almost as good as people understood each other. He hoped that this Pidgey would understand him and know that he meant everything he said.

It nodded in understanding and accepted Shinji as its new trainer.

"Karp, karp!" Rei splashed happily.

"Let's eat now," Shinji suggested.

-x-

"Huh?" Misato went, just as pulled out her TV meal out of the microwave.

"What it is, Misato?" Asuka asked her, sitting at the table, putting up with her guardian's lack of cooking skills.

"I could've sworn for a minute that I heard Shinji's voice just now."

"I wish he were still here."

It was a sad and trying time for both ladies because nearly everything they either saw, heard or said reminded them of the missing boy.

-x-

They finally made it to Pewter City after another day of wandering around Viridian Forest. The sign above their heads read, _"Welcome to Pewter City, Our Stone Land"_. That's when Shinji recalled how the Gym Leader of each location a Pokemon Gym could be found used a specific type of Pokemon to do battle with, and the leader of the Pewter Gym was said to specialize in Rock-Type Pokemon.

 _Unfortunately, my only Water-Type Pokemon is Rei, and she's not strong enough to face any Rock Pokemon,_ Shinji thought, being logical and clear-minded about his Pokemon, knowing that none of them were in any way capable of dealing with a Gym Leader's Pokemon. _Yet, as a trainer, I need to face the Gym Leaders of wherever I go and earn badges to enter the Pokemon League, which is supposed to be in about another year. A whole year to find, capture, and train as many Pokemon as possible to build up their experience. And to become a Pokemon Master, someone that knows everything there is to know about Pokemon. Almost a feat impossible to reach, but many spend their lives striving for it._

"Eee," he looked down at Misato and was broken out of his lingering doubts.

"Let's get to the Pokemon Center and decide on what to do next," he told her.

"Eee!"

-x-

"…What's that, Rei?" Toji asked the albino girl, noticing that she was drawing something on a piece of paper during recess; it looked like a ball with a red top and white bottom.

"It's just a ball," she responded, not giving it any thought.

"It looks like it's made of metal or plastic."

"It is made of metal and plastic."

"Hey, Toji!" Kensuke shouted as he ran into the classroom with his camcorder. "You're not gonna believe what I have on here!"

He showed him the screen and replayed what he had managed to isolate and enhance on his camera, and Toji found himself unable to take his eyes off.

"When did you get this?" He asked him.

"I was filming a naval carrier last night, but when I was editing the film, this just showed up on it," Kensuke explained the foreign film that ended up on his camcorder. "It's insane, but it means something else entirely."

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"You're the only person I've shown this to."

Unfortunately, Rei had seen the footage, too, and was, beyond a doubt, surprised by what she saw. For days, she was uncertain about what the rest of NERV had felt was an undeniable truth, but now she knew it was nothing more than a false belief.

-x-

"…I'm sorry, but didn't I see you back in Viridian City?" Shinji asked the pink-haired nurse that he was certain he saw back in the previous city.

"Oh, you met one of my sisters back in Viridian City," the nurse told him. "I'm the older sister. Nice to meet you."

He suspected that he was likely bound to meet many similar faces in whichever Pokemon Center he visited, but Shinji decided to dwell on that later. He put Misato and his four Poke Balls onto the tray in front of them.

"I need my Pokemon checked to make sure they're doing okay, please," he told her.

"It should take about half an hour. We shall call you when we're done."

"Thank you."

Shinji went over to a vending machine and found a selection of water, soda and lemonade available, and helped himself to a bottle of soda.

"Going to face the Gym Leader?" He heard a female voice, different from the nurse's, ask him.

"Huh?" He responded, turning to face a girl younger than himself, dressed in shorts and a small shirt.

"The Pewter City Gym Leader. Are you going to face him?" She asked again.

"Oh, uh…no," he answered her. "I just started a few weeks ago as a Pokemon Trainer, and none of my Pokemon are capable of facing Rock-Types at the moment. My only Water-Type is a Magikarp."

"Heh. I'm surprised any person would train a Magikarp, considering how they're among the weakest of all known Pokemon."

"That would explain how I was able to catch mine so easily."

"In the past, way back in the past, Magikarp weren't as they are today. They were among the toughest of Pokemon able to traverse in water. Anyone that commits to raising one are said to be rewarded for their efforts and patience when they evolve."

"Evolve? Into what, exactly?"

"Into Gyarados."

Shinji then took out his Pokedex and looked up Gyarados, finding its appearance to be rather intimidating and unlike what a Magikarp looks like.

"Gyarados," his Pokedex uttered, "the Atrocious Pokemon and the evolved form of Magikarp. This Pokemon has a fierce temperament, so approach and handle with extreme caution. Its fangs are strong enough to crush stone and its scales are harder than steel."

"Whoa," he reacted. "Magikarp actually evolves into this? It's…it's incredible. I mean, a small fish…and it becomes a giant serpent."

"You stay true to a Magikarp, and it'll surprise you with what it's capable of. You train it, and it's one of the most dependable Pokemon you'll know."

Ding-dong! A bell-like sound in the halls went off.

"Oh, that sound means someone's Pokemon are healed up," the girl told him.

Of course, that meant Shinji's were healed up. When he returned to get them, the nurse spoke to him about his Magikarp.

"You had best be careful with your Magikarp while in cities like this one, Cerulean City and Vermillion City, sir," she warned him.

"Why?"

"You have a Shiny Magikarp," she explained, showing him a picture of a what a Magikarp actually looked like…and how his looked nothing of the sort that was common. "Shiny Pokemon are more rare than their regular counterparts. So it's likely that when it evolves, it'll become a Shiny Gyarados."

Holding the ball he marked _'Rei'_ , Shinji wondered if this was true…or if his Magikarp was just still maturing before he caught it.

"I just thought she was shedding old scales," he told her.

"Oh, no, the scales would've been a dull color. Gold scales indicate she's a Shiny Magikarp. It's best not to have her out in places she can be seen in these cities I've stated. There are people desperate enough to have Shiny Pokemon that they're willing to steal them."

That's when Shinji realized something else about his current predicament with facing the Gym Leader: He had neglected to remind himself that Water-Type Pokemon weren't the only ones able to best Rock-Type Pokemon, but Grass-Types were equally effective against them. So he needed to find a Grass-Type and train it to best Rock-Types.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but do you happen to know where I can find wild, Grass-Type Pokemon nearby?" He asked her.

"If you take the past west of the city, you'll find some around Mt. Moon."

"Mount Moon?"

"That's right. It's a mountainous range where you can find Moon Stones."

"Thank you."

-x-

Kensuke couldn't believe it when he received a call from a representative from NERV to bring in his camcorder with him.

 _I hope it's to be a Eva pilot,_ he thought; ever since Shinji was declared MIA, he hoped that he could get involved with NERV and face the Angels that were hell-bent on eliminating all of mankind.

As he waited in the room he was left in by the same men in black suits that were supposed to be watching Shinji when he was outside the Eva, the door opened…and Misato stepped in with a faux-blond woman in a white lab coat.

"Hello, Kensuke," Misato greeted.

"Hello," he greeted back.

"It recently came to our attention that you…discovered something of interest on your camcorder."

"Yes?"

"We need to see the footage," explained the faux-blond woman to him.

Kensuke showed them the footage, and Misato was surprised by what had been isolated.

On the camcorder, a young man that looked just like Shinji, holding a strange ball in his right hand, and was accompanied by a strange, fox-like cub on his left shoulder as he stood on a hill overlooking a large city that didn't seem like any that it belonged to any place they knew of.

"Shinji?" Misato questioned.

" _It's going to be another good day,"_ Shinji said on the recording.

" _Eee,"_ the fox-like creature uttered, as if responding to what Shinji said.

The footage only lasted two minutes, but it was enough to convince Misato that Shinji was indeed still alive and well.

Ritsuko, on the other hand, realized that this discovery meant that, while the boy was alive, he was beyond their reach. The fact that the Twelfth Angel had been linked to another dimension was beyond their technological limits.

"Kensuke, where did you get this footage?" Misato asked him.

"I was filming that naval carrier that was docking the night I edited the footage," he explained. "I was unsure of how this footage got in my camcorder."

"What was the carrier called?" Ritsuko asked him.

"It was called the _S.S. Rocket_. It was supposed to be a new carrier that had been repurposed from a previous carrier."

"That ship docked in last night? Did anything seem unusual about it?"

"No, nothing."

-x-

The base of Mt. Moon was lush with vegetation, and Shinji found himself and Misato facing an example of vegetation that you couldn't eat because it fought back.

"Eee!" Misato yelled, doing a backflip in order to evade a series of leaves sharp enough to cut through flesh. "Eee!"

The Grass-Type Pokemon they encountered was tough, too. But when Shinji checked his Pokedex, he couldn't find it in the Kanto files, which meant it was likely not native to the region at all. It looked a small dinosaur with a large leaf on its head and red eyes.

 _It must be our lucky day to meet a Pokemon that shouldn't even be here,_ thought Shinji as he decided that his team needed this Pokemon to face the Pewter City Gym Leader. "Kensuke, help out Misato with your Peck attack!"

He threw the Poke Ball containing his Pidgey and he soared towards the Grass-Pokemon.

Slam! Kensuke pecked the enemy hard on its head, sending it falling to the ground.

"Okay, Misato, use your Take Down attack!" He told Misato, who charged towards the Pokemon, and the impact slammed it against a tree. "Way to go!"

With the Grass-Pokemon weakened, Shinji threw an unused Poke Ball at it, hoping to catch it without failure so that he could progress further in his new profession. It made contact with the creature and it turned into red light, absorbed into the ball. It shook for a few seconds…and then ceased as the Pokemon became his.

"We did it," he praised Misato and Kensuke.

With a Grass-Pokemon in his crew, his chances of facing the Pewter City Gym Leader seemed to go up a few levels. But what bothered him about it was that the new Pokemon was similar to the other one that wasn't in his Pokedex. He would need to contact Prof. Oak and inform him of the lack of information in the Pokedex. But first things first, he needed to get back to Pewter City and get his Pokemon healed.

"Back to Pewter City, you two," he told them.

To be continued…

A/N: I have rarely checked the poll I setup, but my patience is low right now, so Shinji now has a Grass-Pokemon in his possession. Certain Pokemon of his will have nicknames associated to people from his past. So far, only Misato, Rei and Kensuke have been used to address his Kanto Pokemon.


	3. Faith in yourself, faith in your team

Creation began on 04-12-16

Creation ended on 04-16-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Faith in yourself, faith in your team

"…And that's why I'm calling you, Prof. Oak," said Shinji to the elder over the video phone at the Pokemon Center, informing him of the two Pokemon that weren't in the Pokedex. "I'v checked several times, and these two just don't show up in the Kanto Pokedex. They may not be from around this region at all."

"You may be right," responded Oak, who had also been informed of what the two Pokemon looked like by Shinji. "You may have caught two Pokemon native to the Johto Region."

"The Johto Region?"

"There are many regions with Pokemon that you'll only find in one or a few of them. Johto is the region neighboring the Kanto Region. It's also the region the trainer I told you about is in right now trying for the Johto League."

"But…if there are Pokemon from that region that are over in this one, I won't know about them through the Kanto Pokedex, even if I end up catching them. Can I update the Pokedex to include Pokemon from the Johto Region?"

"Yes, of course," Oak answered him. "Just insert it into the slot under the monitor and I'll begin the updating."

"Thank you."

Shinji took out his Pokedex and inserted it into the slot. A small bar appeared on the bottom of the monitor, indicating the time it would take to complete the update.

"Once it's fully updated, you'll have information on Pokemon from the two regions," Oak told him. "Also, don't forget that if you have six Pokemon with you, any more that you capture on your journey will be transported automatically to my lab. Just contact me at a Pokemon Center whenever you want to swap one of your Pokemon on hand for whichever ones end up here."

"Okay, thanks." Shinji told him, and the slot ejected his Pokedex. "Okay, it's been updated. I'll give it a try when my Pokemon have been revitalized. Goodbye."

He hung up and hoped he would have new information on his two Johto Pokemon.

-x-

"…So he's alive?" Asuka asked Misato after the purple-haired woman informed her of the recent discovery found on Kensuke's camcorder.

"Yeah, but this is the strange part is this," Misato explained. "He's in another place that Ritsuko describes as an alternate universe, someplace outside of our time and space. In her words, years could be passing by wherever he is while days could go by here, or the reverse."

"So we could be old and dead by the time he comes back?"

"If he's able to come back at all. NERV has a lot of technology suited for the Eva, but nobody's ever developed technology based on interdimensional travel…and I don't know if Commander Ikari will authorize any time and resources for that type of research."

"So…what, we just forget about him?" Asuka asked her.

"We may not have a choice," she answered.

-x-

"…Time to find out what type of Pokemon you two are," said Shinji as he held up his Pokedex in front his Johto Pokemon.

"Chikorita, the Leaf Pokemon. Chikorita use the leaves on their heads to check the humidity and temperature of their environment, but can also use them to release sweet-smelling aromas to distract their enemies." The Pokedex revealed the identity of the Grass-Type, and then looked up the other one. "Larvitar, the Rock Skin Pokemon. Larvitar consume the soil surrounding them as they hatch from eggs underground, unable to see their parents until doing so. Larvitar are viewed among the most difficult of Pokemon to train because they are hard to find in the wild."

"Chikorita and Larvitar," Shinji addressed them, coming up with their nicknames. "I think I' call you…Sakura and Toji, respectively."

"Chika," the Chikorita, now going by Sakura, responded.

"Larvitar," the Larvitar, now going by Toji, responded.

"Welcome to the team," Shinji gestured to Misato, Kensuke, Kenji and Rei.

-x-

"…Well, I'm sorry, but the contents of the ship's cargo are confidential, Dr. Akagi," a woman around her age uttered to the faux-blond woman as they were on the docks in front of the _S.S. Rocket_. "Even I don't have any idea what is so special about whatever it is that is being guarded in there."

Ritsuko didn't believe this woman for a second, as an earlier report from Section Two had revealed a similar recording from one of their cameras that was picked up by the Aida boy.

 _Whatever is in there, it is clearly worth the secrecy and security,_ she thought.

-x-

"…The _S.S. Rocket_ belongs to the Giovanni Corporation," went SEELE 01 to Gendo during a new meeting. "They don't answer to any other agencies, including ours. They're entitled to their secrecy so long as they don't interfere with our affairs."

"Yet, they could possess something of interest to us that could be used against the Angels," Gendo implored.

"Maybe, but we have no business with them," went SEELE 09. "We could schedule a meeting with their board of directors, but that won't be for another week or two."

-x-

Standing in front of the Pewter Gym, two days later after exploring what Sakura was capable of, Shinji, with his roster of Pokemon selected for the upcoming battle, breathed in the feeling of success in first gym battle before it even starts.

"Let's get this over with, Misato," he told his partner.

"Eee," she responded, and he opened the door to the gym.

It was dark, almost like a cave, and the ground was gritty, just like that of outside.

"Hello," he called out. "Is anyone here?"

Flash! A light turned on and illuminated the large room, revealing a large, dark man whose eyes looked like slits, which made Shinji wonder how he was able to see.

"Yes, I am here," he told the boy. "How may I help you?"

"I'm here to face the Pewter Gym Leader," Shinji told him.

"I take it that this is your first gym you've visited?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, the rules here are quite simple. We each use two Pokemon, and when one of our two Pokemon are unable to continue battling, that's when the victor will be decided upon. Can you handle such a challenge?"

"It's what I'm willing to risk my first battle."

"Then let's begin."

The stadium was a large terrain of rocks; what better place for Rock-Types to have an advantage against other types?

"Misato," Shinji said to his Eevee, "I know that you're my first Pokemon, but can you accept that I'll be battling with Toji and Sakura instead?"

"Eee," Misato accepted his decision not to let her battle.

"Okay."

The Pewter Gym Leader, rising from his floor mat, took out a Poke Ball and threw it towards the battlefield, unleashing his first Pokemon.

"Let's see how you can fare against this!" He told Shinji, as the Pokemon was revealed to be a large rock with arms.

"Who's that Pokemon?" Shinji questioned, taking out his Pokedex to identify it.

"Geodude," it went, "the Rock Pokemon. Mostly found near mountains. If ever stepped on, they angrily use their arms, able to shatter boulders with tremendous force."

"Yikes," Shinji reacted to the information on this Pokemon, and took out Toji's Poke Ball. "Come on out, Toji!"

His Larvitar emerged from the ball and onto the field, staring down Geodude.

"Let the match begin!" The Gym Leader declared. "Geodude, Rock Throw!"

"Dude!" Geodude responded to its master's order, using its arms to shatter the boulders around it, sending fragments of rock towards Toji.

"Toji, evade!" Shinji ordered, and the Larvitar ran behind a nearby boulder, dodging the stones. "Use Leer than Bite!"

Toji jumped from behind the rock and gave Geodude a stare that was menacing.

"Dude! Geodude!" Geodude grunted, feeling affected by Leer; Shinji had much of what he could about the types of attacks that Pokemon could use, and that Leer was used to lower your opponent's defensive stats, leaving more vulnerable to offensive assaults.

Toji then jumped towards Geodude, baring his fangs at the Rock Pokemon, and going for the right arm!

"Tar!" He grunted, biting as deep as he could.

"Dude!" Geodude reacted painfully, levitating allover the field; it was trying to shake Toji off, but Toji held on tightly. "Dude! Geodude!"

"Now, use Chip Away!" Shinji commanded.

Toji released Geodude and performed Chip Away with his small claws, attacking Geodude in its face, sending small fragments of its rocky form scattering to the ground beneath them.

Geodude fell to the ground, its eyes looking like spirals.

"Dude," it groaned.

"You've defeated my Geodude," the Gym Leader gasped. "Impressive. Not many trainers have managed to best it on their first try."

"I'm putting my faith in my Pokemon. I trust in their abilities." Shinji declared.

"We shall now see how you fare against my strongest Pokemon. Geodude, return!"

As the Gym Leader recalled his defeated Pokemon, he took out another Poke Ball and threw it towards the field, where it opened and unleashed a new Pokemon. This one surprised Shinji, as it reminded him of a rhinoceros, only covered in a bulky, rock-like armor.

"Rrrraaurgh!" It growled.

"Whoa," he reacted, taking his Pokedex and identifying this Pokemon.

"Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokemon," the Pokedex revealed. "The bones of this Pokemon are many times stronger than those of human bones. It can charge with enough force to shatter a steel wall. Because of its small brain, it can forget why it charges."

But Shinji looked at this Rhyhorn and felt that it was nowhere near as dumb as its kind were stated to be. He then looked at Toji, who looked like he had some strength left in him to keep going, but took his size into consideration.

"Toji, can you keep going?" He asked him.

"Larvitar," Toji nodded that he could continue.

"Alright, then. Use Leer!"

-x-

"…The Giovanni Corporation has been around since before Second Impact," said Ritsuko to Gendo and Fuyutsuki in the former's office. "They had a contract with the military for a new type of alternate energy source that replaced their need for oil and gasoline, but expanded upon alternate energy by getting patents for new forms of cybernetics that connect to the nervous system and the development of skin regeneration for burn and cancer victims."

"If they have a contract with the military, then we have no ground to investigate their activities," went Fuyutsuki.

"They had a contract with the military. Past tense. Three years ago, the Giovanni Corporation ended its business venture with the military and went solo. Whatever they've been working on ever since has been under the radar."

"We can't actually believe this corporation has done anything that could relate to the Third Child's disappearance."

But Gendo was convinced enough that these people had something associated with the boy's displacement in another. This only made him want to find out what they were up to on that boat.

-x-

SLAM! Toji was slammed into one of the stalagmite-like rocks and fell to the ground, injured beyond a doubt by the Rhyhorn.

"Tar…" He groaned, and fell face-first onto the ground in defeat.

"Return, Toji," Shinji expressed, recalling his Larvitar into his Poke Ball. "You did your best."

"I gotta hand it to you," the Gym Leader told him. "Not many have lasted three minutes against my Rhyhorn. My eldest son has an Onix, and not many beginning trainers could stand up to it."

"Thank you. My next combatant will be Sakura. Come on out!" Shinji spoke, throwing out his Chikorita's Poke Ball.

"Chika," greeted Sakura, facing the Rhyhorn.

"Grr!" It growled at her.

"A Grass-Type, huh? You saved your best for last. Rhyhorn, use Take Down!"

Rhyhorn charged towards Sakura.

"Evade it, Sakura! Use Vine Whip!"

Sakura jumped up and two of the tiny buds around her neck extended into two vines. She used her vines to hit Rhyhorn in the sides, causing it to change its course and smash right into a stalagmite, reducing it to rubble.

"Grr!" Rhyhorn roared, slightly irritated that it hadn't defeated the Grass-Type in its initial attack against her.

"Chika," Sakura chirped, her vines retracting into her neck.

"Time to finish this," the Gym Leader uttered. "Rhyhorn, put it down with Horn Drill!"

Shinji gasped at that. With his learning of the effects of different moves, Horn Drill was one of the moves that, if used successfully, would end the battle instantly. His Chikorita would fall, unable to continue the match. A K.O. move among K.O. moves. But he knew the move would have to hit Sakura to knock her out.

"Get ready," he told her, just as the Rhyhorn's horn started glowing as it charged towards the smaller Pokemon. "Now, Sakura, use Sleep Powder!"

Sakura then waved her leaf, releasing bluish-white sparkles into the air.

The Rhyhorn continued to charge towards her, but then its pace slowed down, its eyes looking drowsy and ready to shut.

Sakura stood her ground in front of it, ready for the worst to take place.

Rhyhorn then fell to the ground, two feet away from Sakura, fast asleep.

The Gym Leader couldn't believe this! His Rhyhorn had never been put to sleep before since he resumed control of the gym so that his eldest son could pursue his own goals, and he had never seen a Grass Pokemon like this that could use Sleep Powder before.

"Rhyhorn, return," he accepted this defeat, recalling Rhyhorn into its Poke Ball. "Congratulations, young man. You're not what I expected, but you two of my best Pokemon."

Shinji bowed his head and Sakura rushed over to him, jumping onto his right shoulder. He didn't really think he would've been able to win his first gym match, but he believed in his Pokemon, and they came out on top.

The Gym Leader came over and presented him with a small pendent that looked like a sculpted piece of stone.

"The Boulder Badge," he informed him. "Proof of your victory over the Pewter Gym."

"Thank you very much," Shinji accepted the badge. "We did it, Misato. We got our first badge."

"Eee," Misato congratulated him.

"Chika," added Sakura.

-x-

"…So, you won your first badge?" Professor Oak asked Shinji at the Pokemon Center that night.

"Yes, we did," he corrected the elder; while the badge might've gone to him, it was his Pokemon that fought for it. "I'm hoping the next gym will be different, just not with a Geodude or Rhyhorn. I've kinda had enough of Rock Pokemon for one day."

"Eh-heh-heh. That's understandable. You should try your hand at the Pokemon Gym in Cerulean City where they use Water Pokemon."

"Cerulean City? Okay. I shall contact you again at another, Professor Oak."

As he hung up, Shinji turned to face his Pokemon as they were eating dinner (although Rei had eat while inside a fish tank), and noticed how Misato seemed down. He came over and asked her if there was something wrong, even though he couldn't understand what she was likely to say to him in response.

Misato looked over at Toji and Sakura, who seemed content with their dinner, and Shinji suspected that she was depressed at not being able to battle for the badge.

"The next trainer we face, Misato," he assured her, "you're first up."

"Eee," she accepted and held him to it.

To be continued…

A/N: How's it so far for y'all?


	4. Disappointment and Adaptation

Creation began on 04-16-16

Creation ended on 05-13-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Disappointment and Adaptation

A/N: We all get how Cerulean City's Gym Leaders are.

After three days and nearly twenty battles on the way, Shinji and Misato had made it to Cerulean City. Both looked worse for ware, with scrapes and bruises. It was mainly because they had traveled through Mt. Moon, catching some new Pokemon that were sent back to Prof. Oak's lab. So far, he had sent back a Clefairy, a Zubat, a Paras, a Sandshrew, a Goldeen, a Poliwag, two Nidoran (a male and female), a Caterpie and Weedle, and a Bellsprout.

Shinji breathed in a new breath as Misato rested on his head.

"Let's get to the Pokemon Center and rest up," he told her.

"Eee," she agreed, and he resumed the walk into the city.

-x-

"…We received another strange recording from being near the carrier," Ritsuko informed Gendo and Fuyutsuki, showing a camera with new footage of the _S.S. Rocket_.

In the footage that was revised, the last twenty-seven seconds of film cut from the external view of the carrier…to a view of the Third Child, throwing a strange ball at a strange, bluish rabbit with spikes and a horn on its head.

"We need to find out what it is that they're hiding in that carrier," Gendo enforced.

"The Committee is trying to schedule a meeting with the Giovanni Corporation, but that will take a while," Fuyutsuki stated. "The carrier, however, is supposed to be stationed at the docks for at least two months, so it's not going anywhere anytime soon."

"That may not apply for whatever cargo is inside the carrier."

-x-

It was probably foolish of him to do so, but Shinji just wanted to make sure his Eevee stood out to him, so he went to a place in the city called a Poke Mart and bought, among other items necessary for his Pokemon, a purple scarf with a green trim. Yet, due to the coloring of the scarf, he just seemed to remind himself about the Eva, something he was actually trying to put behind him.

"…So I heard another trainer was left disappointed in the Cerulean City Gym today, huh?" He heard a woman say to someone.

"Yeah, that's right," responded a man, and Shinji took notice of them by a bench in the mart. "The Kanto Pokemon League is in eleven more months, and the Gym Leaders of that place have been neglecting their responsibilities as Gym Leaders."

Shinji placed Misato's scarf on her and then carried her over with him to speak with the two.

"Excuse me," he greeted them kindly. "I'm sorry to intrude, but did you say that the Gym Leaders of Cerulean City have been…neglecting their responsibilities?"

"That's right," the woman told him. "A beginner yourself?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"They call themselves the Sensational Sisters," the man explained. "They're more like celebrities than actual Gym Leaders, always looking beautiful, but not devoted to the Pokemon League."

Shinji then looked towards a picture on a wall that showed three ladies in short dresses. They nearly reminded him of Asuka, but without the attitude and more flair.

"Them?" He asked, pointing to the picture.

"That's right," the woman answered. "One of the last trainers that competed in the league from last year visited the gym and was said to be just as disappointed in the three because they wouldn't challenge him. I think his name was…Ash Ketchum."

"The guy that owns a Pikachu?" Shinji made sure that it was the same guy.

"Yeah, him. You heard of him?"

"Sparingly. The last I heard of him, he was in Johto."

"Well, if you're trying for the Kanto League, I'd suggest you try the Badge Guardians," the man suggested to him.

"Badge Guardians? Who are they?"

"They're like Gym Leaders, but they don't stick with a single type of Pokemon like the Gym Leaders are known to do. I guess you could call them an adaptive resort to absentee Gym Leaders. You beat one of them in a match, and they give you the badge you would've obtained at the gym."

Shinji looked down at Misato, who looked back at him. This was a choice they had to contend with.

"Face the Badge Guardians or be short a badge for the Pokemon League," he uttered. "Where can I find one of them?"

"One's supposed to be visiting the Cerulean Gym as a sub for the ladies," the woman explained. "Maybe if you hurry, you can still catch him."

"Thank you."

And with that, Shinji stepped out of the store and ran with Misato towards the gym.

"Those ladies may not be like the first gym we faced," he told her, "but if there's a guy that offers badges to whoever defeats him, we gotta try for one!"

"Eee!" She responded.

-x-

Within Unit-02, Asuka had a strange vision that was probably her imagination running away from her. In the vision, she saw Shinji, slightly older by perhaps a year or two, surrounded by large creatures that looked similar to animals that barely existed anywhere else on Earth (if not more fierce in their appearances), and he seemed to favor a small, fox-like creature atop his left shoulder, sporting a purple scarf with a green trim. She saw him standing before a creature unlike any Angel she had seen before (with perhaps the Fifth Angel being the only exception), and he pointed his right index finger towards it, as if challenging it.

"…Asuka," she heard Ritsuko say to her, and she opened her eyes. "We're done for the day."

Outside the plug in the monitoring room, the faux-blond evaluated the recorded data from the redhead and decided to compare her sync ratio with that of the First Child's.

"Rei, you're next," she informed the girl.

"Yes, ma'am," Rei said plainly, and proceeded to Unit-00's Entry Plug.

"Do you really believe that the Giovanni Corporation had anything to do with the Third Child's displacement in another world, Dr. Akagi?" Maya Ibuki asked her; it hadn't been long before the whole of NERV HQ knew about the mysterious footage that showed Shinji in another place beyond this one.

"It's unknown at this point," Ritsuko explained. "It's also unknown if there's anything this corporation has that can help NERV at this point."

"Well, it's not like we can just talk to them."

-x-

It was more like an aquarium than a gym, as Shinji and Misato walked through a hallway with metal and glass walls displaying various fish.

"How did we get lost in this place?" He asked Misato, who seemed just as lost as he was.

"Eee?" She responded, confused.

Suddenly, they heard a bunch of chattering, and saw three women walking down the path they were taking to wherever they could.

"Excuse me, ladies?" Shinji asked them, recognizing their faces from the picture at the Poke Mart. "I'm looking for the Gym Leaders and the person in charge of battling Pokemon Trainers."

-x-

"As the Badge Guardian representative of Cerulean City, I accept your challenge," a man in his forties, with grayish-black hair and dressed like some sort of police officer told Shinji as they were in the gym portion of the Cerulean City Gym, holding a Poke Ball. "Will a three-on-three Pokemon battle be alright with you?"

"I accept," Shinji told him, though he had to wonder why the three sisters, that weren't much of representing the gym itself, had to be around instead of performing for the masses.

"I'll begin with this gal!" The Badge Guardian announced, throwing a Poke Ball with a blue top and two, red sections.

It opened and unleashed a Pokemon onto one of the solid platforms used for Pokemon that couldn't handle water very well. The Pokemon looked like a large cat with a red jewel on its head.

"Purr," it purred.

"What's that Pokemon?" Shinji wondered, taking out his Pokedex to identify it.

"Persian, the Classy Cat Pokemon, and the evolved form of Meowth. Adored by many for centuries, its lithe muscles allow it to move without making a sound, allowing it to attack prey without warning. Because of its haughty nature, it is considered among the most difficult of Pokemon to train."

Shinji looked at it and felt it was a tough beast.

"Eee," went Misato to him, reminding him of his promise from the first gym. "Eee."

"Are you sure?" He asked her.

"Eee!"

"Okay, then. You're up first, Misato!"

She ran over and jumped onto the neighboring platform, facing the Persian.

"An Eevee, huh?" The Badge Guardian expressed. "Very few trainers begin with Normal-Type Pokemon. Your first?"

"Yes, she is," Shinji told him. "Whenever you're ready to begin."

"Okay, Persian, use Fury Swipes!"

Persian charged towards Misato, its front paws raised high, and it unleashed its brutality. But it missed, Misato, who jumped out of the way.

"Nice work, Misato. Now, use Tackle!" Shinji called out, and his Eevee rammed into the Persian's left side, nearly sending it into the pool.

Persian backed away and jumped onto a different platform.

"Okay, Persian, try your Swift attack!" The Badge Guardian ordered.

It jumped into the air…and unleashed a stream of five-pointed, semi-solid stars.

"Eee!" Misato cried as the stars struck her, nearly knocking her into the pool.

"Are you alright, Misato?" Shinji asked her.

"Eee," she responded, but her left, front leg was bruised, making it difficult for her to stand.

"If your Pokemon's too injured or exhausted, you can always recall it and use it again later," the Badge Guardian reminded him; so long as the Pokemon in question hasn't been defeated in a match with a set limit of Pokemon to use, the trainer could still use it so long as it could still fight.

"Return for now, Misato," Shinji ordered his Eevee, who, begrudgingly, obliged the order; even she didn't want to admit that her leg hurt. _Misato and Persian are Normal-Type Pokemon, but there are many that are one than one type. There's Grass/Poison-Types, Water/Ice-Types, Ground/Rock-Types, even Normal/Flying-Types. What type is good against a Persian?_

He took out one of his Poke Balls and saw the name atop it, deciding to give his random choice a go.

"Do your best, Kensuke!" He cheered, releasing his Pidgey into the air.

There was some strategy in his random choice. While the Persian was capable of Fury Swipes and Swift, Shinji suspected that such attacks (excluding Swift, that is) were only as good as the targets they could touch, so he was hoping that Kensuke, being capable of flight, could outmaneuver the cat. And because he heard that Kensuke, before he was ever caught by him, was likely to be among the toughest of Pokemon that had been abandoned.

"A Pidgey, huh? Do you intend to use Normal Pokemon throughout the entire match?" The Badge Guardian questioned.

"Hardly," Shinji responded. "Use Gust, Kensuke!"

Kensuke flapped his wings as hard as he could, creating a large tornado that swept up bits of the pool water, becoming an external cyclone out of water.

The Persian was unable to evade, and was sucked into the cyclone!

"Purr!" It yelled as it was thrown into the water, dog paddling as it tried to get out of the pool, but was barely able to move. "Purr…"

It reached the side of the pool…and fell.

"Return, Persian," the Badge Guardian sighed, recalling his Pokemon back into its Poke Ball. "I gotta give you credit, kid. Just one attack, and my Persian's out of commission. Your Pidgey must be very strong to be able use Gust like that."

Shinji looked up at Kensuke as he flew around the pool.

"Never overestimate or underestimate anyone's abilities," Shinji expressed.

"But can your pet bird handle my next contestant? Go!" The Badge Guardian threw out his next Poke Ball, unleashing a new Pokemon that Shinji was surprised by.

"Scyther!" It went, looking like some sort of green creature with wings and a pair of curved blades for arms. "Scyther!"

-x-

"…This was sent from the United States," went Fuyutsuki to Gendo and Ritsuko in the former's office. "They insist that Evangelion Units-03 and 04 be removed from their soil within the next three weeks after the Nevada incident."

The Nevada incident, as it happened three days ago, resulted in a series of small explosions that, while not causing any significant harm to the personnel, caused tension between the NERV branch in Nevada and the general public that resided in the community around Nevada, and all of which stemmed from the experimental installation of the salvaged S² Engine from the Fourth Angel. It enraged the people that lived there that had to put up with the loud noises every now and then, and they refused to be endangered by a project that started in Japan, even if it was to protect them from an enemy they've never seen before.

"Do we comply?" Ritsuko questioned.

"We do," Gendo answered her; without the Third Child and until the Dummy System was ready, NERV needed to adapt their (his) scenario.

-x-

Kensuke was getting tired of evading Scyther's Slash and Fury Cutter, and couldn't keep up, despite having the type advantage over the Mantis Pokemon. While he had managed to land critical blows with his Quick Attack and Wing Attack, the Scyther was only slightly weakened and still full of energy to spare. This made Shinji want to recall Kensuke before he was defeated, but he wanted his Pokemon's permission before.

"Kensuke, can you keep this up?" He asked him.

"Pidgey!" Kensuke responded; this Pidgey had something to prove.

"Scyther!" The Scyther hissed.

"Alright, Scyther, finish it with another Slash attack!" The Badge Guardian ordered.

Scyther raised its right arm and unleashed its Slash attack at Kensuke, and was able to hit the bird that had managed to evade its attacks for most of the battle.

"Pidgey!" Kensuke cried as he fell onto one of the platforms. "Pidgey!"

He got up and now sported a new injury on his back.

"Eee!" Misato cried out, supporting Kensuke to keep going, that he could beat the Scyther. "Eee!"

"Your Pidgey's got some spirit, I'll tell you that much," the Badge Guardian praised, "but how long until it realizes that it can't keep up?"

Kensuke glared at Scyther, who raised its blade limbs up defensively.

"Pidgey!" He yelled, extending his wings…as his body suddenly started to glow a bluish-white.

"Aah!" Shinji gasped, shielding his eyes. "What's going on?!"

The Gym Leaders all gasped and the Badge Guardian realized what was going on.

Kensuke's body outline grew to over three feet, the wings extended further out and something stuck out on the head. When the glowing ceased, Kensuke looked much stronger and older, sporting several red and yellow feathers on his head and tail.

"Pidgo!" He cawed.

"A Pidgeotto!" Shinji realized; he had seen one recently in a previous match with a traveling trainer, and was amazed that he now had one. "Congratulations, Kensuke!"

Kensuke then flew back up into the air, higher than he had before.

To be continued…

A/N: Don't worry, the next chapter will conclude the match between Shinji and the Badge Guardian. I also felt the need to finish this chapter because I hate this type of day.


	5. Cargo Space

Creation began on 05-14-16

Creation ended on 05-15-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Cargo Space

A/N: The secret of the _S.S. Rocket's_ hidden cargo.

Antonio Giovanni, the eldest great-grandson of the late Artemis Giovanni and the eldest son of Otto Giovanni, tasked with the safety and security of the precious cargo aboard the _S.S. Rocket_ , sighed as he stood out on the deck and looked out at the maimed buildings that were slanted and half-sunken into the water where the docks were built to manage the ships that stationed there for varying time periods. He was disgusted by the crippling devastation that mankind seemed responsible for causing. Whatever had truly caused Second Impact had ruined his family and left him and his younger brother and sister feeling bitter about their future.

 _Our father could've entrusted this assignment to Jessica or Jameson, but instead, he entrusted it to me,_ he thought, turning back to face a stairway that led back into the carrier's cargo bay. _Is what we're trying to achieve even worth the patience?_

Deciding to return to the cargo bay, he went down the stairs and entered a large, hangar-like chamber where a large, cage-like structure was in place. Within it, a large tank filled with tinted water could be seen, showing a creature unlike anything the planet had ever seen.

 _If we can figure out what you are and what you can do, maybe we can discover a way to fix this world's crippled state,_ Antonio thought, only scarcely informed of what this creature his family company discovered was. _A new species of reptile as large as a building with unnatural properties similar to pearl. Beautiful, but quite dangerous, requiring it to be heavily sedated. Somehow, it just managed to appear in one space_ _…_ _and then appear in another space a short distance. We were fortunate to capture before it could harm anyone, suggesting that it was weakened when it was found. If it is able to manipulate space, then if it could be controlled, we could accomplish life-saving wonders with it._

Within the tank, the reptilian creature, barely able to move due to the heavy sedation it was under, looked down at the human in front of it. It bared its fangs and lost consciousness again.

Beside the tank was a tag that Antonio found unusual when he was given this assignment. On it, it read, _"Project Space Manipulation. Subject: Palkia"_.

"Someone actually felt this creature needed a name," he told himself. "So long as NERV stays out of our way, I hope we can do some good with you."

The only problem with the space-manipulation project was that it required scientists unaffiliated with NERV, but were of similar scientific knowledge that could aid in understanding this pearl-like creature better than what they had discovered now.

"The sooner we find out more about you, the better," Antonio expressed.

To be continued…

A/N: And now you know what's so special about the cargo. But that's as much as you'll know for now.


	6. The stength to carry on

Creation began on 05-13-16

Creation ended on 05-18-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

The strength to carry on

Thud! The Scyther fell on the platform, wasted after taking on the full force of Kensuke's Double-Edge attack, winning Shinji two out of three battles with the Badge Guardian.

"I gotta give you due credit, kid," he told the young trainer. "Not many trainers could best my Scyther after my Persian. Still, I've saved my best for last. There's no way you can beat my best fighter. Come out, King!"

He threw out a Poke Ball that was black with a yellow "H", and it unleashed a new Pokemon.

"Oh…my…gosh!" Shinji gasped, seeing a large, purplish creature that reminded him a creature that Kensuke once told him about called Baragon, but more armored and intimidating. "A Nidoking!"

"Eee!" Misato gasped and hid behind Shinji.

"Rrraurgh!" Nidoking, or just King, growled as he raised his arms up. "Rrraurgh!"

Shinji, in his basic studies before leaving Pallet Town, knew that fully-evolved Pokemon tended to be extremely powerful and almost impossible to beat with Pokemon not as strong or as experienced. And he knew, just from looking at this massive brute, that this Nidoking was very powerful. With his only other Pokemon as a third choice being a Magikarp, Larvitar, Chikorita and Pikachu, his chances of getting his second badge seemed to dwindle.

"Pidgo!" Kensuke uttered.

"Kensuke, return," Shinji ordered him. "Take a break!"

Shinji held out his Poke Ball and the Pidgeotto was recalled back into it.

 _So long as none of my Pokemon have fainted from their injuries, they can still fight,_ he thought, trying to decide on who would be the best choice for his third Pokemon. _Here goes._

He took out a different Poke Ball and threw it towards the platform in front of him. From out of the ball, Sakura, looking surprised to see another combatant larger than herself, several feet away from her on a large pool.

"Ooh! Such a cutie!" One of the three Gym Leaders gasped, referring to Sakura.

-x-

"…This can't be right," Ritsuko uttered, looking at the latest, fragmented footage taken from the _S.S. Rocket_ , seeing Shinji in the new footage, but he wasn't the same as he had been in the previous fragments of footage. "What is this?"

On her computer monitor, Shinji was facing a group of people in military-like uniforms, but he looked different, taller and a bit athletic, as if he'd been running more often than necessary. He also had a small scar on the left side of his face that hadn't healed completely. Beside him was the strange, brown, fox-like creature that looked bigger and more slender and feminine.

"You're no match for Master or Guardian!" He shouted at these people, and threw two balls, which unleashed two creatures that were unlike anything Ritsuko had seen so far.

One creature looked like some sort of cat-like creature, gray and purple, that seemed slightly humanoid with a strange, organic tube that extended from the back of its head to the back of its body. And the other creature was that of a large, white and bluish-purple dragon with large, hand-like wings.

 _Could time really be transpiring faster there than it is here?_ Ritsuko thought.

-x-

"…Chika," groaned Sakura as she tried to get back up after using a combination of Razor Leaf, Vine Whip and Sleep Powder against the Nidoking, and was thrown against the platforms. "Chik…"

She fell and lost consciousness.

On the other side of the pool field, King, slightly weakened from the Grass-Type attacks, panted from the exertion needed to deal with the Grass-Type Pokemon.

"Return, Sakura," Shinji sighed, recalling his Chikorita back into her Poke Ball. "You did well."

"Eee," Misato uttered, concerned for her trainer's chances at winning this match.

"We got this, Misato," he assured her, holding out Kensuke's Poke Ball. "That badge has got our names written allover it."

He threw the ball and re-released his Pidgeotto, who looked a little rested and ready for a new challenge ahead.

-x-

"…Wherever it is that the Third Child has wind up," Ritsuko informed Gendo and Fuyutsuki in the former's office, "he seems to be gathering up strange animals."

On the the laptop on Gendo's desk, the isolated footage taken from the naval carrier showed an older Shinji unleashing the two, strange creatures against the group in front of him.

"And he looks older," said Fuyutsuki to her. "How is this possible?"

"It's been believed that alternate dimensions are separated by the boundaries of time. While time here passes normally, the time in the dimension the Third Child is in could be passing by at a faster rate."

"Meaning that by the time we're able to find a way to reach him, he could already be reaching his twenties or thirties…or older." Fuyutsuki sighed. "That is possible, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"We need to find out what is in that carrier as soon as possible," Gendo expressed.

-x-

Even when weakened by Kensuke's Double-Edge and Wing Attack, King was still a formidable foe from the Badge Guardian, as Shinji saw how he used a Hyper Beam attack and sent Kensuke to the ground without even breaking a sweat.

"Pidgo…" Kensuke groaned as he tried to get up, but couldn't.

"It looks like we're down to our last Pokemon," the Badge Guardian expressed. "I gotta hand it to you, kid… You're willful and defiant. You don't stand down, even in the face of an adversary stronger than yourself. That's a good thing."

If this was praise, it was the weirdest type that Shinji had ever received. As he looked at the Nidoking, seeming almost exhausted, he wondered if Misato could even take on the weakened Drill Pokemon. She was a Normal-Type, so she had no advantage against the Poison/Ground-Type, but she was his remaining Pokemon in the battle.

"It's all up to you now, Misato," he told her.

"Eee," she responded, and ran out onto the platform. "Eee!"

"Graaurgh!" King growled, trying to intimidate the little Pokemon.

 _Since Nidoking's a stronger Pokemon, I'll have to rely on Misato's speed,_ Shinji thought.

"King, use Poison Sting!" The Badge Guardian commanded.

King opened his mouth…but nothing short of his breath was expelled; because he had used Hyper Beam against Kensuke, he needed to recover until he was able to use any other attacks.

"Now, Misato, use Take Down!" Shinji commanded, and his Eevee ran over the other platforms towards the Nidoking, ramming him in the gut area, knocking him backwards.

"Graaurgh!" King growled in pain.

Splash! The larger Pokemon fell into the water.

"Eee," Misato, still on the platform that King had been on, wobbled around as she regained her footing.

The pool was quiet as they waited for King to surface. When he did, however, everyone was surprised by what they saw, for King was incapacitated.

"King!" The Badge Guardian gasped, unable to believe that such a small Eevee had beaten his best Pokemon with just one attack, but had to take into consideration that the other attacks from the Pidgeotto and Chikorita were contributing factors. "Ah, no!"

"We…we did it?" Shinji questioned.

The Badge Guardian then recalled his Nidoking and put his Poke Ball away.

"You got guts and spirit, kid," he told Shinji. "You beat my best Pokemon. You've won yourself the Cascade Badge."

Misato ran back towards Shinji and jumped onto his chest, knocking him onto his bottom.

"Eee!" She cheered.

"Ah-ha-ha!" He laughed. "We did it, Misato. We won our second badge."

-x-

As he waited for Misato, Kensuke and Sakura to recover from their injuries, Shinji, in the waiting room area of the Cerulean City Pokemon Center, noticed a large picture on the wall in front of him on the wall. He focused on it and found it unusual. It was of at least four Pokemon, depicted as stone carvings, and the one on the lower right side of the picture caught his attention, for it looked like a strange sort of dinosaur with a weird, fin-like sail on its back.

 _It feels as if_ _…_ _I've seen that creature before,_ he thought.

Beside it was another creature that looked as though it stood on four legs, opposite of the bipedal creature Shinji was initially looking at.

A second afterward, Shinji's head started to hurt, probably from staring directly at the carving-like pictures, and he turned away, feeling a little better as he sat back down after initially getting up to examine the picture.

"What a day," he sighed, and lied back in the ball-shaped chair. "I wonder how everyone's doing back in Tokyo-3?"

As soon as he said that, he lost consciousness.

To be continued…

A/N: And with this, his time in the Kanto Region will accelerate, meaning that several events will be skipped entirely. Don't worry, you'll see another evolution in due time. Maybe even a Mega Evolution.


	7. Miraculous lights shine in the city

Creation began on 05-18-16

Creation ended on 05-30-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Miraculous lights shine in the city

In the still darkness, a lone woman sat in a chair, a Poke Ball in her lap. Her eyes glowing a soft blue as she saw beyond the boundaries of the room she was inside of. Her gaze never letting go of the present night activity occurring not far from where she resided. And it was a nice evening for the young man she saw.

"Well, now, Shinji Ikari," she uttered in the darkness, "time for us to play."

-x-

As Shinji and Misato continued on their way to Saffron City, the growing trainer and Eevee have seemed to found themselves lost in the darkness of the forest.

"…I know we're close, Misato," he assured his Pokemon, "we're going the right way to the city. And to the Pokemon Center for the night."

"Eee," Misato expressed.

It had been almost two months since they left Cerulean City, and their journey had been adventurous as it had been disastrous for the two. Their brief stay in Vermilion City was longer than in Pewter and Cerulean City. The Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, crushed him and his Pokemon at least three times in three different days. But what Shinji learned from any of the matches where his Pokemon didn't come out on top, what didn't keep them down for good only made them learn from their mistakes. His own mistakes, as well.

He picked up Misato and placed her on his head.

"Where there's a will, there's a way, Misato," he told her. "We can't stop until he find the way to Saffron City."

"Eee," she agreed with him, and he resumed walking down the path.

Whoosh! A strong breeze swept around Shinji's legs and up his back, and was strong enough to pull his Eevee off his head!

"Eee!" Misato gasped, suddenly blown down the path in front of Shinji. "Eevo!"

"Ah, Misato!" Shinji gasped, chasing after her. "I'm coming!"

He jumped towards her and managed to grab her in the air. But what he didn't take into account of his action was that there was no ground for him to hit safely.

"Aaaahh!" He yelled, assuming a fetal position to try and reduce as much of the potential harm to himself and Misato as possible as they fell over a cliff.

It felt like they were falling forever, because there was a silence. He took a chance and opened his eyes, seeing that he was floating an inch from the ground beneath him…just before hitting it without harm to himself or Misato.

"Are you alright, Misato?" He asked her.

"Eee," she responded that she was fine.

He got up and looked at the new sight in front of them. Lights. Lights that were so bright, they could've made the night sky look like daylight. And massive buildings that reached into the air. It was such a marvelous sight to behold. And a large entryway with a sign that read, _"Welcome to Saffron City"_.

"Saffron City, Misato," he told her. "This is supposed to be the city before Celadon City where the package Prof. Oak asked us to retrieve for him is. Shall we find a Pokemon Center now?"

"Eee!" She nodded in agreement.

-x-

"…Hey, Katsuragi!" Kaji greeted the purple-haired woman the next day, noticing that she looked hardwired on coffee. "Are you alright?"

"Last night, I dreamt about Shinji," she explained, walking with him onto Central Dogma. "He had this creature with him and had fallen off a cliff. Somehow, he survived and I saw him walking towards a city made of light before I woke up."

"It sounds like he's managing, wherever he is."

"Yeah, except that it seems like wherever he is, he's…gathering strange animals. It must be a hobby he's picked up or something. If only there was some way to talk to him."

-x-

"…Your Pokemon are in top shape, sir," Nurse Joy informed Shinji, handing him back the tray holding his Eevee and Poke Balls.

"Thank you, ma'am," he praised her.

"Going to face the Saffron Gym?"

"That's the plan."

"Be careful, then. They use Psychic Pokemon, and they're quite powerful."

"I had to face Electric Pokemon, and that was no walk in the park."

"Unless you have Bug, Ghost or Dark-Types, your chances will be slim.

Shinji thought about it, and remembered his education on the type advantages certain Pokemon have against one another, despite that often being disproved with experience and luck. And he did have some Bug Pokemon. He had a Paras, a Caterpie and Weedle…and he needed to exchange three of his on-hand Pokemon to get them here.

He went to contact Prof. Oak.

"Hello, Shinji," the elder greeted him on the video phone.

"Hello, Prof. Oak," he greeted back. "I'm at the Saffron City Pokemon Center. I want to prepare to face the Gym Leader, but I need my three Bug Pokemon."

"Your Paras, Caterpie and Weedle? Well, that means you'll have to transport three of your Pokemon with you there to here. So, which three will you be exchanging?"

He had decided on Rei, Toji and Sakura; his Magikarp was still at an insufficient level, despite her getting stronger with every day (she was already capable of swimming him across a good distance in the water), and he knew a Larvitar and Chikorita weren't going to fare well against Psychic-Type moves. He had their Poke Balls out and ready for the exchange.

"I can tell they're looking forward to meeting you," Oak informed, and the exchange was commenced right away.

In the transporter, the three marked Poke Balls he had were sent to Prof. Oak's lab and in place of them were three Poke Balls that were unmarked.

"Thank you, Prof. Oak," Shinji praised the elder. "Until we meet again. Take care."

He unleashed his Bug Pokemon and introduced them to Misato, Kensuke and Kenji.

"Weedle?"

"Paras?"

"Urh?"

"Hey, you three," Shinji greeted them. "Nice to meet you after so long."

Shinji offered them his hands…and his Caterpie was the first to climb onto his left him, followed by Weedle and Paras on his right hand.

"Ah-ha!" He laughed.

-x-

The lone woman in the darkness smiled as she saw Shinji begin training his three Pokemon she knew he intended to use to face the Saffron Gym Leader.

"Heh-heh," she chuckled at his determination to strengthen his Pokemon. "A stranger in a strange world…and look how far he has adapted. Exquisite."

-x-

He focused primarily on their evasion with Misato and Kensuke, and built up their endurance with Kenji. While he didn't take the training too serious over the next few days of the week they were in Saffron City, Shinji expected only their best; he never wanted perfection, as that was impossible. He knew that if he put in the effort and had faith in his Bug Pokemon, the rewards for such patience and determination would be worth it.

"Urh," went his Caterpie, whom he nicknamed Hyuga, after one of the Bridge Bunnies.

"Are you okay, Hyuga?" He asked him.

The next thing he knew, Hyuga performed a String Shot attack, but not at him or the other Pokemon. He was doing it on himself, covering his body in multiple strands of silk as his body slowly glowed bluish-white.

 _He's evolving,_ Shinji realized, and when the glowing ceased, they were all looking at a slightly-larger, green-colored, shiny creature with bluish eyes that seemed similar to those of a human's.

"Metapod," the new Pokemon uttered.

"Nice to meet the new you, Hyuga," Shinji greeted the Cocoon Pokemon.

"Eee," went Misato, also greeting Hyuga's evolved state.

"Pidgeo," Kensuke greeted, as well.

-x-

"…Well, it wasn't easy, but we're scheduled to meet with the CEO of the Giovanni Corporation," Ritsuko informed Misato, who had only the slightest understanding of the company that owned the naval carrier housing whatever it was that affected the recordings of whoever decided to film the ship and wind up picking up static footage of Shinji in a different world with strange creatures.

"Oh, great," she expressed. "When will that be?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. Commander Ikari hopes that they'll indulge us with whatever they're hiding on the carrier because it was confirmed they're looking for skilled scientists unaffiliated with NERV."

"Well, everyone has their own need for secrecy. Whatever it is, I just want to know how it allows for video footage to show Shinji in another dimension."

-x-

It was a grand sight to behold for Shinji and his Pokemon. The sight of the city at night, from atop one of the skyscrapers marveling at the beauty.

"Isn't it wonderful?" He asked them.

"Eevo," Misato agreed with him.

"Pidgeo!" Kensuke added, hovering over Shinji's right shoulder.

"Pika," cheered Kenji, standing on the ledge of the roof.

"What about you three?" Shinji asked, looking at his Bug Pokemon. "Hyuga? Ibuki? Shigeru?"

Hyuga, now fully evolved into a Butterfree, responded by flying around group happily.

Ibuki, the former Weedle nicknamed after the female Bridge Bunny, now a fully-evolved Beedrill, followed suit with Hyuga.

Shigeru, now evolved into Parasect, merely shook his mushroom top and released a sweet-smelling aroma.

It had been a exhilarating two weeks of training, but the results were worth it. And now, Shinji was ready to face the Saffron Gym Leader for his fourth badge.

"Let tomorrow be as joyful as the last few days," he told them, and they agreed with him.

-x-

"Heh-heh-heh," the woman in the darkness chuckled, seeing Shinji with his Bug Pokemon now stronger than ever. "Tomorrow, we play."

-x-

The Giovanni Corporation had rented a boardroom from one of the regular buildings for their meeting with NERV, and Misato found that it lacked much security in the form of cameras, just several armed guards; she deduced that they didn't want to risk anything with NERV.

"Welcome," said a man in his late-fifties as he entered the room to greet Misato, Ritsuko, Fuyutsuki and Gendo. "I am Otto Giovanni."

Beside the elder was one of his sons, Antonio Giovanni, who seemed to distrust the NERV people with heavy suspicion.

"We'll cut right to the point of this meeting," went Gendo, just wanting to get down to business. "We believe that you have something on your naval carrier that affects video recording and picks up footage that doesn't exist anywhere else."

"Suppose that, for a moment, we actually believed you," went Antonio, "what would be your interest in the company's find?"

"A while back, one of our pilots went missing," said Fuyutsuki, showing them a photograph of Shinji. "Every time we film the carrier, we get bits of footage that shows him in a place that simply doesn't exist anywhere on the planet."

Antonio and Otto looked at each other before returning their gaze to the NERV people.

"Like another dimension?" Otto questioned.

"That's right," answered Ritsuko.

"You're not the only ones that have collected unusual footage," said Antonio to them, "but we never found any footage showing anyone."

He picked up a remote and showed them a slideshow of their company's archive of footage.

"What we discovered, we can't say for sure, is unlike anything that has ever been discovered before," he explained, "for it causes recordings to show pieces of footage detailing places and creatures that look similar to certain animals, but they possess abilities far greater than what we've seen in those that exist today or over fifteen years ago."

One of the slides showed a small, fox-like creature that was identical to the one Misato and Ritsuko had seen with Shinji.

"If one of your pilots has indeed ended up in another dimension, then he may have no idea of how invaluable anything they may have discovered would be." Otto suggested, and Antonio showed them the slide of the creature they had discovered. "We're looking for scientists that specialize in the theory of interdimensional research…or…the potential to open doorways to other worlds."

"What would be the goal to achieve this sort of feat?" Ritsuko asked.

"If such was possible, then it would be possible to open doorways to uninhabited worlds with resources that could replenish the ones we're losing here in this one," Antonio stated. "Or drain the flooded environments by relocating the ocean waters to an empty world, revitalizing the animal kingdom and so on. We wouldn't be living in a slowly-dying world, anymore."

"Incredible," Fuyutsuki expressed; he had never seen such a creature that didn't seem to associate with the Angels.

"Yes, it is incredible," Otto agreed.

"There is some doubt that you would find any scientists unaffiliated with NERV that are skilled enough to help with your research," Gendo told them.

"It's a risk, but one we're willing to take," the elder told him; he had a reason not to trust this man. "So far, we've recruited at least seven individuals that have agreed to help us in understanding this creature."

"But suppose that you would do better with assistance from NERV?" Ritsuko suggested.

"I'd rather not believe that," Antonio responded. "We left the service of the military powers to be able to achieve different objectives without the deception or micromanagement."

-x-

Frightening. That was the only word Shinji could describe the Saffron City Gym. It was frightening, like something out of a nightmare from long ago.

"Maybe we should've come here at night," he suggested to Misato.

"Eevo," she nodded in the negative, and pushed against the back of his right leg to go forward.

"Oh…" He gave up and walked closer to the gym's front door.

Creak. The doorknob turned and opened the door on its own.

"What in the name of…" Shinji said, but was unsure of how this was possible.

As he wanted to turn away and come back at night when it was probably not as intimidating, he feared Misato's Take Down more.

"Eevo," he heard her encourage him to continue entering the building.

To be continued…

A/N: During the daylight hours, the Saffron Gym probably does seem intimidating and frightening to people, which would make going to it at night more appropriate because it probably doesn't seem as scary.


	8. Heart over Mind

Creation began on 05-30-16

Creation ended on 06-17-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Heart over Mind

"…Really?" Asuka asked Misato as they walked down the hall to Central Dogma.

"Yeah," the purple-haired woman responded. "It was the only way NERV could have some access to the Giovanni Corporation's project because they have a creature that is unlike anything else that has ever existed. We'd be updated on any footage taken of the creature that contains footage of Shinji and we'd be permitted to observe the research, but not to interfere with the project."

"We sure this creature isn't some sort of Angel?"

"We saw footage of Shinji with strange creatures that seem similar to the creature the Giovanni Corporation has in their possession, and they gave no indication that they were anything like the Angels. Plus, there's been no blue patterns detected. That thing's not an Angel."

Asuka found the idea of interdimensional travel to be nothing more than a daydream. If NERV could've done it, then they would have probably been able to get back Shinji without any outside aid. But then again, they were more directed at dealing with Angels, not rescue operations.

"Was there any explanation for why some of the fragmented footage showed Shinji as being older?" She asked Misato.

"They believe it's definitely because of the different boundaries between dimensions," Misato explained. "They're sometimes separated by time and space. If we manage to open a doorway to the dimension he's in, I hope it's before he ends up so old, he's on his deathbed."

Asuka found that hard to imagine. Maybe a little older, but not near death.

"Maybe they should keep you in the loop more than the rest of us," she suggested.

-x-

Unlike the outside of the gym, the inside of the gym wasn't as intimidating. But it looked like some sort of dungeon or business building in terms of the architectural appearance, and Shinji looked inside one of the rooms, seeing some people performing acts that seemed like something out of a mental hospital. There was a pair of women that looked like they were guessing cards, a young man looking a bent spoon and fork, and a little boy reaching out for a wooden block that was floating in front of him.

"What is this place?" He wondered.

"This is Sabrina's psychic institution," said a man in front of the young trainer and his Eevee, wearing a medical mask over his mouth. "I wouldn't expect you to understand everything here."

The man then held up a large spoon and made it bend without the use of his other hand.

"Telekinesis," he revealed. "Not many trainers can control Psychic Pokemon without having a degree of psychic power themselves."

Shinji bowed his head and requested to see the Gym Leader to earn his fourth badge.

The man led him down the hall, down some stairs and to a large pair of doors.

"After you," he uttered to Shinji, who approached the doors, which then opened on their accord.

Behind the doors was a large battlefield associated with a Pokemon Gym, lit up by pillars adorned with candles, and in front of them was a young woman sitting in a large chair.

"Welcome, Shinji Ikari," she said, looking like she was around his age or older, maybe close to her twenties. "I've been expecting you for some time."

 _How did she know my name?_ He wondered; he hadn't even introduced himself of his intentions to face her for a badge.

 _Telepathy,_ he heard her voice in his mind. _You can't hide your thoughts from me. I know who you are, why you're here, and where you're from. You're a long way from this Tokyo-3._

He and Misato walked over to the challenger side of the field…while the woman levitated out of the chair and onto the ground opposite of the field.

 _I know that you intend to use Bug Pokemon against me, and your strategy, while common, is weighed down by your inexperience against Psychic Pokemon. Still, I look forward to facing you. You may even find a way to return to your own world. The rules are simple: We each use only three Pokemon, and only the challenger is permitted to substitute their Pokemon. You win, and the Marsh Badge is yours._

Shinji suspected that Sabrina was going to keep this up so that it would be meaningless to actually speak to her, and took out one of his Poke Balls to show that he wasn't backing down.

"Whenever you're ready," he told her.

A Poke Ball appeared in front of her and opened up, unleashing her first Pokemon for the match. It was unlike what Shinji had been expecting from her as her first choice. This Pokemon was black in color, but seemed two-dimensional and…almost like one of the letters of the alphabet. It reminded him of the letter "T", but with an eyeball.

"Unown," it went, levitating over the ground.

"What is that Pokemon?" He wondered, taking out his Pokedex and looking up the new creature.

"Unown, the Symbol Pokemon," the Pokedex went. "Because of their hieroglyphic forms, researchers have suggested that these Pokemon have some relation to ancient tablets found in ruins. Unown are believed to also have some relation to ancient languages."

"Whoa," he expressed, suspecting that this Unown wasn't the only one of its kind, and that there were others around, but not in the Kanto Region. "Okay, I'll start off with Shigeru!"

He threw his Poke Ball and unleashed his Parasect.

"Parasect!" Shigeru went, ready to face his first opponent.

 _Let the match commence,_ Sabrina announced.

-x-

"…This was some new footage they obtained when filming the creature two hours ago," went Ritsuko to Misato after the latter returned to NERV HQ, showing her new footage that involved Shinji in the other dimension. "This shows him having aged very little, but clearly close to Fifteen."

On the computer monitor, Misato saw the static clearing up to reveal Shinji as she saw him last, but he was surrounded by hundreds, maybe thousands of people in some sort of stadium, facing off against someone else and a large, serpent-like creature that appeared to be made of rocks. He threw out a ball and unleashed a larger serpent that looked as though it belonged in water and had a terrible disposition.

"What is he doing over there?" She wondered. "Or…what has he done over there?"

"Whatever it is…or was…it's clearly in front of a lot of people." Ritsuko suspected. "It could be another aspect of that world he is in. He finds these strange animals, collects them…and entertains people with them?"

The footage ended with the serpent Shinji summoned spitting out water at the rock serpent.

-x-

"Parasect!" Shigeru groaned, recovering from the repeated attack by Sabrina's Unown "T".

"Hang in there, Shigeru!" Shinji encouraged him to continue after suspecting that the Symbol Pokemon knew nothing beyond this technique called Hidden Power. "Use Slash again!"

Shigeru obeyed and raised his primary pincers up to take down the enemy again. He swung his right pincer down and managed to hit the Unown "T", causing it to whine in pain as it floated backwards.

"Okay, now finish it with Stun Spore." Shinji ordered, and Shigeru shook his mushroom top to release a powdery wave of golden powder that reached the other side of the field, surrounding the Unown "T".

It was clearly affected by the way it moved…and fell to the ground, its eye looking dazed.

"Unown is unable to continue," went the mask-wearing man, acting as the referee. "Parasect is the winner of this round."

Sabrina recalled her Unown into its Poke Ball and replaced it with another ball.

 _Impressive skill, even though my Unown was recently acquired just a month ago, so it was my weakest,_ Shinji heard Sabrina in his head. _Let's see how you fare against a stronger adversary._

The new Poke Ball opened and unleashed the new Pokemon onto the field. It looked like a smaller, fatter tapir, yellow on the top and brownish-black on the bottom, as if it had bathed in mud.

"Drowzee," it uttered.

Shinji took out Shigeru's ball and recalled him; by substituting his Pokemon, he would still have all three, and it reduced the risks of them fainting, allowing them to rest up until he called for them again. Then, he took out another ball and threw it to the field, unleashing Hyuga.

"Begin!" The man announced.

"Hypnosis!" Sabrina ordered her Drowzee.

"Drowzee," Drowzee uttered, waving its arms up and down. "Drowzee…"

"Wee, wee," Hyuga, flying around to evade the attack.

"Counter with Sleep Powder!" Shinji ordered, and his Butterfree began spreading a mist of sparkling powder, covering the Drowzee with it.

The Drowzee shook its head, but the effects of weariness were already starting to set in.

"Psychic," Sabrina commanded, and Drowzee's eyes glowed bright blue.

Hyuga was suddenly bathed in blue light; he was affected by the Psychic attack.

"Wee!" Hyuga grunted, and was immediately slammed onto the ground by a force beyond the physical.

Shinji recognized the attempt by Drowzee; if it was going down, it was taking Hyuga with it.

"Hang in there, Hyuga!" Shinji encouraged.

"Eevo!" Misato added in, supporting him.

"Wee!" Hyuga grunted as he was lifted up into the air by the Psychic attack, only to be slammed down. "Wee!"

As he was raised up again for the fourth time, Drowzee fell to its left knee, holding up Hyuga in is psychic grip with its left arm, its very Psychic assault now less than half of what it had been before.

"Drowzee… Drowzee…" It uttered, now looking drowsy.

Shinji took a gamble and told Hyuga, "Tackle it!"

Although he was still under the Psychic move, Hyuga flew towards Drowzee, his very efforts only slowed down by the Psychic Pokemon.

BASH! The Butterfree knocked the Drowzee to the ground…and it dozed right off.

"Drowzee is unable to continue," the masked man announced. "Butterfree is the victor."

Sabrina returned Drowzee to its Poke Ball and replaced it with another.

"Very good. You're actually doing better than the last trainer that challenged me. He was from Pallet Town, with a Pikachu." She told him, and Shinji realized that she was talking about Ash. "But just because you beat my Unown and Drowzee, it'll take more than luck and skill to beat my last Pokemon. You may have had the ones you caught for less than a quarter of a year, but this one has been my companion for half my life. Even your Bug Pokemon are likely to have difficulty with it."

She threw the Poke Ball and unleashed her final Pokemon.

Shinji prepared for the worst, expecting to face a large and almighty beast.

The Pokemon released was revealed to be some of fox-like animal, standing on its hind legs, wielding a spoon in one of its hands and with a red star on its forehead.

"Kadabra!" It went.

"Whoa," he shuddered.

"Eee," added Misato; she was just as surprised as he was.

"Hardly anyone has managed to defeat my Kadabra," Sabrina revealed. "Can you?"

-x-

"…Every time we get new footage that glimpses into this other dimension, the time isn't fixed," Ritsuko informed Gendo later that day. "Sometimes, the footage shows the Third Child as he was before he was displaced, but other times, he's shown being older."

"So, the dimension he could be in manipulates the time whenever the footage is acquired?" Fuyutsuki, who was also in the room with them, suggested.

"It's a possibility."

But Gendo, who was examining the newly-obtained footage, watched how it seemed that his son was facing other people with these strange animals to entertain people. It would've been simpler to have NERV take possession of the strange creature the Giovanni Corporation had, but he had orders from SEELE to not interfere with the organization and let them do as they pleased, since their work was proven not to be interfering with the paramilitary agency's.

"Any time we get new footage, he could be as he was when he was displaced or he could be older than a man in his twenties or thirties, even forties," went Fuyutsuki. "Or older."

-x-

"…Wee," Hyuga groaned as he fell to the groaned, incapacitated from the fury of Kadabra's Confusion and Psychic techniques.

"Butterfree is unable to continue," the masked man announced. "Kadabra is the winner of this round."

Shinji called his Butterfree back into his ball and decided to save Ibuki for last, and resent Shigeru back onto the field.

"Parasect!" Shigeru expressed, facing Kadabra.

-x-

"Major Katsuragi!" Maya Ibuki ran down to the purple-haired woman in the hallway. "A call from the Giovanni Corporation came for you! They initiated an experimental video feed, and are sending us a link that you should look at."

Misato followed her back to Central Dogma and took a look at the new video feed, seeing Shinji, exactly as he had been before he was displaced, facing a woman with a rather negative expression…and a creature that looked like a large fox with a spoon in its hand.

"Let the battle commence," said a man wearing a medical mask.

In front of Shinji was some sort of creature that looked like a large mushroom with crab or insect-like legs and pincers.

"What is this?" Misato asked.

"It's a new experiment the Giovanni Corporation attempted," went Ritsuko, who was there earlier to examine the feed. "They tried using some newly-obtained videotaping equipment in front of the creature…and they got this footage that…they're still recording and transmitting."

"Transmitting? This is current?"

"Okay, Shigeru," they heard Shinji say, "use Stun Spore."

"Huh?" Shigeru Aoba gasped, looking around to see if anyone was looking at him.

The mushroom creature then shook its top and unleashed a misty stream of golden dust.

"I guess that mushroom creature belongs to Shinji," Misato suspected.

-x-

"Disable, Kadabra," Sabrina commanded, and her Psychic Pokemon unleashed a wave of energy that caused the Parasect to cease using Stun Spore.

 _That wasn't a Psychic-Type attack,_ Shinji realized; it was one of the few moves he understood as being a Normal-Type technique that certain Pokemon could learn over time, and how it keeps a Pokemon from using the last move it used in a battle. _Stun Spore's out of commission, but Kadabra's now paralyzed by the spores._

True to his thoughts, Sabrina's Kadabra was under the effects of paralyzes due to being coated in the spores, reducing its ability to attack or defend.

"Okay, Shigeru, try Tackle!" He ordered.

"Parasect!" Shigeru obeyed, charging towards Kadabra as fast as his feet would take him.

"Confusion, Kadabra!" Sabrina ordered, but Kadabra was unable to do as commanded due to its paralyzes, and was tackled by the Mushroom Pokemon, knocked backwards onto the ground.

"Kadabra!" Kadabra groaned, getting back up, its body glowing a pinkish outline. "Abra!"

Shigeru's body was now glowing the same color; it was under the power of Kadabra's Confusion.

"Para!" He groaned, and was immediately thrown by the psychic force backwards.

"Shigeru!" Shinji gasped.

"Eevo!" Misato went, encouraging Shigeru to get back up. "Eee!"

The Parasect struggled to get back up…and glared at the Kadabra.

 _I'm impressed by your determination,_ Shinji heard Sabrina in his mind. _But paralyzes doesn't stop my Kadabra by any margin of luck._

Kadabra glared at Shigeru and then unleashed a beam of psychic energy from its eyes.

Shigeru was hit and left staggering on his legs.

"Parasect!" He groaned, almost at his limits.

"What was that?" Shinji demanded from Sabrina.

"That was Kadabra's Psybeam," she explained. "Your Parasect is now confused."

And true to her claim, Shigeru was now hitting himself with his pincers, thinking himself to be an enemy; a confused Pokemon would sometimes attack itself until the confusion wore off.

"Oh, this is not good," Shinji told himself, holding Shigeru's ball.

"It's time to end this," Sabrina declared. "Psychic, Kadabra."

Kadabra's body glowed and forced the confused Parasect to levitate, hitting the ceiling, and then falling back onto the ground.

"Para… Para…" Shigeru groaned, trying to stand up again, but fell, completely drained of energy.

"Parasect is unable to continue," the masked man announced. "Kadabra wins the round."

Shinji was now down to his last Pokemon of the gym match as he recalled Shigeru.

"Good work out there, Shigeru," he expressed, and then held out Ibuki's ball.

"Eee! Eevo!" He looked down at Misato, who smiled at him.

"We can still win this?" He asked her, receiving a nod in the positive. "We can still win this."

He then threw Ibuki's ball out onto the field, releasing the female Beedrill.

-x-

"Man, that's one Hell of a bug," Maya expressed at the sight of the large, bee-like creature that Shinji had unleashed.

"If they were any bigger, I'd wanna get far away from wherever he is," Shigeru expressed.

"So, your last Pokemon's a Beedrill?" The woman on the screens spoke, addressing Shinji.

"You already knew that," Shinji responded. "Let the final round begin."

-x-

Ibuki took flight and charged towards Kadabra.

"Psybeam, Kadabra," Sabrina ordered.

"Fury Attack, Ibuki!" Shinji commanded.

The Beedrill raised her two stingers up and began thrusting them in piercing gestures, trying to fight through the Psybeam attack.

Kadabra dodged several of the jabs, but was hit by Ibuki's left stinger, knocking it backwards.

"Great, Ibuki, now use Twineedle (Twin Needle)!" Shinji told her.

The Beedrill continued to jab her stingers at the Kadabra, who tried to evade each thrust, only managing at every last second. Some of the jabs weren't dodged, however, and Kadabra sustained minor cuts from the stingers.

-x-

"…Even bugs can't do that," Ritsuko expressed, finding it impossible for any insect to be capable of actions like jabbing, even at a traditional size, and the one she was seeing was as big as a small animal.

"Try telling Shinji that, and he's using a bug to fight something that looks like a fox with a spoon," Misato responded.

The bee-like creature Shinji was using had suddenly knocked the spoon-wielding fox away onto the ground, causing it to lose its spoon.

"Ouch," said one of the technicians.

The fox-like creature got back up again and picked up its spoon, looking exhausted.

"Your Kadabra is tough," said Shinji, being mindful of his opponent. "Probably the toughest we've faced so far."

"Thank you," the woman responded. "Your honesty is a rarity among strangers from a place far beyond the reach of common hands."

"I shall take that as a complement, then."

The spoon-wielding fox, just as it bent the spoon in its possession, fell back down, succumbing to its injuries and exhaustion.

"Kadabra is unable to continue," the masked man announced. "The victor of this match is Shinji Ikari."

The woman, accepting defeat, recalled the fox into a ball similar to the ones Shinji had used.

-x-

As Shinji checked his Beedrill, Sabrina approached him and presented him with his fourth badge as proof of his victory over the Saffron Gym.

"Not many were able to defeat my Kadabra," she expressed. "Congratulations on your success."

"Thank you," Shinji responded, accepting the badge from her. "We did it, Misato. We got our fourth badge now."

"Eevo," Misato cheered.

"Do you still aim to return to your home on this journey you're on?" Sabrina asked him.

"I do," he answered her.

"Your goal is a far one. One of the steps required in such a feat is what other trainers have done for much of their lives."

"Which is?"

"Capture Pokemon, of course. The Pokemon you catch in the wild will help you towards your path to return to your world."

Shinji looked down at Misato, who seemed just as confused as he was right now.

"How many would I need to catch?" He questioned. "I know that there's more than one-hundred-fifty known Pokemon out there, but…is there a limit?"

"My best answer to your question," Sabrina responded, "is as many as you can capture, Shinji Ikari. The more Pokemon you capture out there in this world…the closer you'll get to finding your way home. Your goal will likely take you more than the time you have already spent here on your journey as a trainer…but in the end, ask yourself this question: Was it all worth it in the end?"

Shinji repeated that question in his mind, but he wasn't sure how to answer it, since he knew only one thing was for certain: He needed to capture more Pokemon now that he knew a part of how he was to find his way home. He then bowed his head to Sabrina and turned to leave the Gym, followed by Misato and Ibuki.

-x-

"What were you able to discover from this transmission the Giovanni Corporation sent us?" Gendo asked Ritsuko, who reported to him in his office what she had discovered from the transmission as soon as the Giovanni Corporation could no longer get any more of the live footage from the creature they were studying in their possession.

"Only as much as this woman the Third Child was facing in some sort of battle had revealed," she explained. "If he wanted to return to this dimension, he would need to capture as many of these strange animals she called…Pokemon…in order to get closer to his goal."

"They call these creatures…Pokemon?" Fuyutsuki, who was also present, asked her.

"So it would seem," she responded. "From what the Third Child stated, there seemed to be over one-hundred-fifty known species that he would have to find and collect."

Gendo didn't seem too impressed by this discovery, however.

"Also," Ritsuko added, "it may just be something he picked up, but the Third Child seems to give the Pokemon he's obtained names that relate to his time here. So far, all we've determined is that he addressed a mushroom-like creature after one of the technicians, a large bee after my protege, and this small fox that accompanies him after Major Katsuragi."

"Some people name their pets after people they know or knew," Fuyutsuki suggested.

-x-

Once he had his three Bug Pokemon mended and thanked them for helping him get closer to the Kanto League, Shinji had them sent back to Prof. Oak's lab for Sakura, Toji and Rei. As much as he wanted to ask him how many Pokemon existed in this world, he decided against until he had to ask later. It wasn't something he wanted to trouble anyone with. And, as much as he didn't want to think about it, he was thinking about what Sabrina had told him. Even if he achieved his goal to return home, would it even be worth it in the end?

As he walked down the streets of Saffron City with Misato, said Eevee brushed against his left leg.

"Hey!" He uttered, looking down at her.

"Eee?" She responded innocently, and then ran up ahead of him. "Eevo!"

"Eh-heh!" Shinji laughed and ran after her. "Wait for me!"

He would eventually catch more Pokemon on his journey to the Kanto League, but he wouldn't let his desire to find his way home depress him. Instead of thinking about the past or future, he would focus on the present. Right now, that was what he needed to concern himself with. And part of that present included the fact that he had four badges in his possession…and needed to go get his remaining four badges and Prof. Oak's package in Celadon City.

"Onto the next adventure!" He expressed.

To be continued…

A/N: What do you think so far? Shinji discovers part of the way he can get home, but it will take him a while to achieve this feat.


	9. Enter Asuka, the Fiery Tormented

Creation began on 06-17-16

Creation ended on 06-26-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Enter Asuka, the Fiery Tormented

Looking at his map of the Kanto Region, Shinji, sitting on a small boulder on the route leading from Saffron City to Celadon City, trying to make sure he was going on the right path and not get lost. It had been another two days now, making it an official three months since he started his journey as a Pokemon Trainer, and he had spent those two days in Saffron City after winning his fourth badge to catch more Pokemon that he discovered could often be found in urban areas. So far, he had sent to Prof. Oak's lab a trio of Voltorb (which, despite other trainers' beliefs, looked like larger versions of the standard Poke Ball to him), a quartet of Magnemite and a strange Pokemon called Elekid, which disturbed him a little because it looked like a large plug with arms and legs.

 _They would've likely been Kenji's type of company,_ he thought, putting the map away and confirming that he was on the right path. _I guess Electric-Type Pokemon are among the common Pokemon you'll find in cities._

"Eee," he heard Misato, who had been eating a rice ball, and turned to another boulder where she was sitting. "Eee."

It turns out she had already finished her rice ball…and was still hungry, so he reached into his pack and pulled out another rice ball for her while helping himself to another.

"Meleon…" He then heard something that sounded close by.

"Huh?" He reacted, and turned around, seeing something red approaching them.

It looked like a large, red dinosaur with a flame spurting from the tip of its tail. What made it stand out more than the flame was the expression of rage on its face.

"Oh!" He gasped, grabbed Misato, and jumped out of the way before the creature swung its right claw at the boulders they were on, smashing them to pieces.

"Charmeleon!" It snarled, turning to face Shinji and Misato.

"What are you?" Shinji questioned, taking out his Pokedex and identifying the creature.

"Charmeleon, the Flame Pokemon, and the evolved form of Charmander," it revealed. "Unlike its pre-evolved form, Charmeleon possesses a vicious temperament, causing it to lash out and even seek out strong opponents to improve its own abilities. Its claws are razor-sharp, enabling it to shatter boulders."

"Vicious temperament is right," Shinji expressed, but then noticed something on the back of Charmeleon's head that he hadn't noticed before; it looked like a pink bow or ribbon had been tied to it, suggesting that this Pokemon was a female.

-x-

"…So last night, an experimental video feed showed Shinji in a battle with a woman with these strange creatures in the world he's in?" Asuka questioned Misato in the NERV cafeteria, making sure she understood right.

"Yeah, and he defeated her with the ones he used against hers, which were large insects," Misato told her. "She revealed to him a way he could get back to this dimension, which required that he catch as many of these strange creatures as possible."

"Catch those things? That sounds easier said than done. Some of the other footage we've seen shows him being older, so it's likely he might not catch enough to get back here. How many does he need to catch, anyway? One-hundred? One-thousand?"

"We don't know, and it's just as likely that he doesn't know, either. It won't stop him from trying, though. The point is that we're not the only ones trying to find a way back for him. He's looking for way back, too."

"To think that he would have to do something like that is easier said than attempted. What are his chances of even catching just one-hundred of these animals?"

Misato wanted to counter that she had faith in Shinji's abilities in this foreign world he was in, but held her tongue because of the footage of Shinji being older. She wasn't sure what his chances were of catching even two-hundred, even though she found out from the footage of Shinji from last night that there were more than one-hundred-fifty known types of these…Pokemon he had encountered, but to catch as many as he could, it did seem easier said than attempted.

"At least he's trying, Asuka," she told her instead.

-x-

He never ran as hard as he did in his life, but Shinji had outrun the Charmeleon that had attacked him and Misato, and reached his required destination. They had made it to Celadon City, which was bright-colored and full of smells from many flowers.

"You got assaulted and chased by a Charmeleon, as well?" A man watering some flowers asked him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he answered him.

"You're the eighteenth person so far to be harassed by that Charmeleon."

"I thought most Pokemon were…friendly out in the wild. What was up with that Charmeleon…besides a vicious temperament?"

"One of the trainers that came by about a month ago claims that it was abandoned by some other trainer that didn't think it was strong enough to battle even the weakest opponent it had a type advantage against. Apparently, it didn't appreciate its misfortune and took it out on any trainers passing by. He didn't make it to the semi-finals of last year's Pokemon League competition, but if he's the type to abandon his Pokemon because they don't live up to his standards, he's not likely to reach the semi-finals this upcoming year, either."

Shinji looked down at Misato, who had managed to escape from the Charmeleon's Flamethrower, all save her left leg on the back, which had a bad burn, and asked the man where the nearest Pokemon Center was.

"It's just down the street," he answered him. "You can't miss it."

"Thank you," he praised, and then walked down the street to the center.

He thought of Kensuke, who had also been abandoned by his previous trainer, and wondered why certain trainers would just abandon their Pokemon for selfish reasons, such as either not living up to one's expectations or because they won't take the time to improve their abilities. His Pidgeotto was strong in his mind and heart, and was now stronger than ever as he faced stronger adversaries. Even if Pokemon had a disadvantage against other Pokemon, by either their type or experience, if the trainer puts in the effort to bring out the best in their abilities, then such limitations became meaningless.

-x-

It was a strange feeling she had, but Asuka felt like something had been set ablaze. She was thinking about Shinji's current status in that strange dimension, and wondered if he was in any danger at the moment. Or if trying to catch these strange animals invited any danger similar to the danger that came with facing the Angels.

 _And what would he do with such animals after he's used them to return to this world?_ She wondered as she entered the school grounds for the day.

"Hey, Asuka," she heard Hikrari as she entered the classroom.

"Hey, Hikari," she responded as she sat at her desk.

-x-

"…So, once my Eevee's been treated for her burns, we'll head over to the Celadon City Department Store and pick up the item you requested," Shinji informed Prof. Oak over the video phone at the Pokemon Center. "But the other reason I'm calling is that I need to send over my Chikorita for the time being."

"What for?" Oak asked him.

"I'm going to attempt to capture an abandoned Charmeleon that's been harassing others between here and Saffron City. It attacked Misato and I without so much as a excusable reason…and if it's not going to stop because its previous trainer decided to cast it aside, I have to do something about it."

"Very well, then. You know what to do."

Shinji put Sakura's Poke Ball in the exchange system and sent her to Prof. Oak's lab.

"Good luck catching the Charmeleon," Oak told him.

"Thank you," he responded, and ended the transmission.

He heard the beeping noise that signaled his Pokemon had been fully mended, and rushed over to get Misato and head out into the city again to do what he set out to do.

Misato, with a minor bandage on her leg, looked as well as could be.

"She'll need to wear the bandage for at least three days, but she'll be able to walk," Nurse Joy informed him. "Have a safe journey."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," he responded, picking his Eevee and stepping out the Pokemon Center. "As soon as we hit the department store, Misato, we're going after that Charmeleon."

"Eevo," she expressed.

-x-

"The footage from last night was obtained through videotaping equipment that was still in the experimental stage," Antonio Giovanni told Misato when she showed up in the cargo bay to get a better look of the creature the GC had in their possession. "Were you able to ascertain anything that we weren't able to understand?"

"Only that if my ward wanted to return to this dimension, he would have to capture as many of these animals as he could," she explained. "And that he seems to nickname some of the ones he's caught after certain people he's met."

"That's nothing new. Many name their pets after people they knew. But if he has to catch as many of these strange creatures in order to return to this world, he could be looking at several years, give or take, depending on just how many of those things are out there."

"Over one-hundred-fifty known species."

"No kidding. I hope he's able to do it."

"Same here."

In front of them was the creature known as Palkia, still heavily sedated in its containment system. Its very presence made Misato want to wet her legs right now.

"You're sure that this…this creature is perfectly secure?" She asked Antonio, just as several workers were operating the various machines that were monitoring it.

"Yes, it's perfectly secure," he assured her, and one of the scientists holding regular filming equipment was recording the creature's actions within the tank cage.

-x-

"Thank you," praised Shinji as he obtained Prof. Oak's Poke Ball parcel and purchased some Great Balls for himself; during his traveling across the region, he had amassed a considerable sum from battling other trainers and Gym Leaders and the Cerulean City Badge Guardian, so he was able to buy more than just standard Poke Balls and Potions.

Now, because he had found several fruit-bearing trees along the way, he could obtain other items, such as Super Potions and Antidotes in case he was too far from a Pokemon Center and his friends were poisoned, paralyzed or burned. He had also purchased several other items for his Pokemon to individuate them from other Pokemon.

"Okay, Misato," he told his Eevee, "let's go get that Charmeleon."

"Eee!" She agreed.

-x-

"…So far, filming the creature from these specific angles and positions gets the distorted footage that comes from the other dimension," Antonio told Misato, showing her new footage collected from an hour ago. "The footage, however, is still not in sync with the time. Your ward is shown as being slightly older than he shouldn't be."

On the monitor in front of them, Shinji, looking well into his twenties, facing a pair of large creatures that looked like large sea serpents with wings for ears or fins.

"I guess I could catch some more Dragonair," they heard him say, and he threw a ball that unleashed a large bird that was as blue as the sky, with a long tail.

"We're about to begin the same experiment that got us the live feed," Antonio informed Misato.

-x-

It was bold move, but Shinji and Misato stood out in the open field, on the lookout for the abandoned Charmeleon. He had Toji out because he needed a Pokemon that was resistant to Fire-Type Pokemon techniques. This meant his Rock/Ground Pokemon was the best bet.

"Eee!" Misato went.

"Tar!" Toji added in.

Shinji turned to face where they were facing…and saw what they saw.

It was the Charmeleon, slowly approaching them. It looked slightly bruised and covered in a layer of dirt, but not a pushover at all. Within a moment, it stopped several feet in front of them.

"Char…" It went, snarling at the three.

"As much as I want to believe that you'll stop, I can't believe it," Shinji told the Flame Pokemon. "I don't believe that you'll stop unless you're stopped…and we're going to stop you."

"Me… Char…"

"I am truly sorry for what happened to you with your previous trainer, but you can't take out your suffering on others that have done you no wrong."

"Meleon!"

Shinji held out a Great Ball and prepared to catch this fiery fiend.

-x-

"…The feed's stabilizing," a female scientist announced, as the larger cameras present around Palkia were filming the creature. "The system's at one-hundred percent capacity."

"And we're getting spatial distortion," added a male scientist, watching a monitor. "We're getting imagery of the other dimension."

On the video monitor in front of Antonio and Misato, the static cleared up and showed Shinji on a desert-like terrain, with the small fox and a small, dinosaur-like creature facing a large, red, dinosaur-like creature with a flame protruding from the tip of its tail.

"Wow," went Antonio.

"I think he's going to try and catch this creature," said Misato.

"Okay, Toji, you're up," they heard Shinji say, and the small dinosaur stepped up.

"Does he know anyone around here by that name?" Antonio asked Misato.

"One of his classmates," she answered.

"Leer!" Shinji commanded, and the creature he nicknamed after Toji Suzuhara performed a rather-intimidating facial expression.

-x-

The Charmeleon glared in response to the Leer used by Toji, and spat out a stream of fire at him, intending to cause harm.

 _If that's not Flamethrower, it's Ember,_ Shinji thought, watching as Toji was hit by the flames, but barely injured by the attack. _But Toji's got the traits of Rock Pokemon. He can take the heat._

When the Charmeleon stopped spitting fire, Shinji ordered, "Okay, now use Bite, Toji!"

Toji opened his mouth and propelled himself towards the Flame Pokemon, landing his jaws on the beast's tail.

"Char!" It shrieked, whipping its tail around, trying to get the Larvitar off, but the Rock Skin Pokemon held on tightly. "Meleon! Charmeleon!"

"Misato, use Take Down," Shinji told his Eevee.

"Eevo!" Misato responded and charged towards Charmeleon while it was distracted by Toji.

Bash! She slammed into its waist and knocked the wind out of it, sending it falling down.

"Me… Char…"

Shinji thought to use one of his Great Balls, but felt that it was premature. His past experience with other Pokemon that seemed weaken enough to capture being a good example. Some weakened Pokemon still had enough strength to resist capture.

Charmeleon growled as it got back up, proving Shinji that it did have some strength left to battle. The bow on its horn-like protrusion fell off as it raised its claws up.

"Get back, Misato!" He shouted.

SLASH! Charmeleon had almost slashed her on her back, but Misato managed to dodge the surprise attack and get away.

Toji saw this, and suddenly caused several pieces of rocks to levitate and struck Charmeleon from all sides, knocking it back down.

Deciding not to take any chances, Shinji threw the Great Ball and watched as Charmeleon's body turned to light and was transferred into the ball. He then went over to Misato and picked her up.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, and she nodded that she was fine.

The Great Ball continued to shake on the ground as the Charmeleon continued to persist.

Ping! It stopped shaking and the red point on it became white.

Shinji picked up the ball and looked at Toji with a small smile. It seemed as though his Larvitar had learned a new technique in the heat of the moment.

"Thank you, Toji," he praised him. "We caught ourselves a Charmeleon. Our first Fire-Type."

"Tar," Toji responded.

-x-

"That was a close one," Misato expressed, seeing Shinji seemed relieved to have captured the creature he called a Charmeleon. "That animal could've killed the small fox."

The monitor cut to static as the last thing she and Antonio saw was Shinji recall the smaller creature he called Toji into another ball while he picked up the small fox that was nicknamed after his guardian as he walked away from the battlefield.

"It would seem that capturing some of these animals brings the potential for danger," Antonio suggested.,"and if not him, then to the animals he has with him."

"If many of these animals are violent and some of the ones he's caught are in fact more tranquil to get near," she countered.

Antonio sighed and agreed with her. Then, he looked over at the secured cage of Palkia, a creature he could only surmise was anything but a tranquil one.

 _But as long as we can keep it contained, it can't harm anyone,_ he thought, and needed to have the filming systems rechecked before they could proceed to try and get another glimpse into the other dimension that was focused on the present and not the past or future.

-x-

As his Eevee, Larvitar, Pidgeotto and Pikachu ate their dinner on the floor beside his table at the Pokemon Center, Shinji, having barely touched his own dinner, sighed as he looked out the window at the skyscrapers that reached into the air. He had found out from Nurse Joy when he returned with the abandoned Charmeleon that he caught was more injured than he had initially suspected when he caught it and was suffering from malnutrition due to not eating much. Even though much of this could've been blamed on the trainer that abandoned it, the harsh reality of it was that there were always going to be that would cast away whatever Pokemon they felt was weak or didn't give them some type of edge against other trainers during battles. But Shinji refused to be like those trainers. He would bring out the best of whatever Pokemon he had with him, regardless of what other trainers thought of them.

"Mister Ikari?" He heard Nurse Joy call him from three feet away, and he turned to face her in the cafeteria with a solemn expression.

"Yes?" He responded.

"Charmeleon's recovering, but there's still a slight problem," she explained.

"It's the vicious temperament, isn't it?" He asked her.

"Yes…and no," she answered. "Come with me."

She led him down to the recovery room where the Flame Pokemon was placed, and Shinji saw through the window how the creature was strapped to the bed and being spoon-fed a bowl of a porridge by two Chansey in an attempt to feed it to restore its strength. Unfortunately, Charmeleon just spat out every spoonful of it.

"Charmeleon seems to want nothing to do with anyone and attacks them whenever an opportunity to do arises, which is why the restraints are there." Nurse Joy explained, and they saw the Chansey continue to put with Charmeleon spitting up the porridge.

"Um, there was something I needed to ask about it," Shinji responded. "Earlier today when I saw it and later when I caught it, it had a bow or a ribbon on its head. But I wasn't sure if it was a female. Were you able to find out what it was?"

"You caught a hot-tempered female."

"Then her issues must stem from a bad relationship with her previous trainer."

"Which is why I'm suggesting that an attempt to start a new relationship with a new trainer is the best solution at a time like this."

Shinji looked at her and shuddered at what she meant.

"But you're the medical expert," he reminded her; her experience with countless Pokemon would likely make her understand that there could be limits to what anyone could do in situations like this.

"And you're the new trainer," she countered kindly. "It could be what she needs right now, a bond with someone that won't hurt her by casting her aside."

He sighed and accepted defeat and stepped into the room.

-x-

"…Asuka, Pen-Pen, I'm home," went Misato as she entered the apartment.

The warm-water penguin ran out of the hall and bumped into her legs.

"Squawk!" He rambled, pointing to Shinji's room, which had the door opened.

Misato went towards the room and saw Asuka standing in front of a small TV. There was static, but the image was as clear as it could've been. Somehow, the TV was showing Shinji from a ceiling view in a room with three creatures, one of which was the red, dinosaur-like animal that Shinji had caught earlier.

"How long has this been on?" She asked Asuka.

"Almost twenty minutes," the redhead answered. "It looks like he's in some sort of animal hospital for these creatures."

Shinji was sitting beside the bed that had the red creature with the flame on its tail, holding a bowl of porridge with a spoon.

"Can't hear anything," Misato stated.

"The volume doesn't work on this," Asuka explained, pressing one of the volume buttons, but the sound didn't go up.

-x-

Shinji did fear the Charmeleon's fire-breathing abilities, but Nurse Joy assured him that because of her malnourished condition and the fact that he battled her before catching her, she wasn't going to be performing any Fire-Type attacks until she had recovered. So, as he sat beside the bed and held the bowl of porridge he asked the Chansey to give to him so that he could attempt to bond with her.

"I won't pretend to know what you went through," he told her, taking a spoonful of porridge and holding it in front of her. "I have a friend that was in the same boat as you, though. Kensuke had also been abandoned by his previous trainer when I met him, but he adjusted and is now stronger. I want to introduce you to everyone when you recover."

"Char…" She sighed, turning her head away. "Char…"

"If you think I will cast you aside, you're mistaken," he told her, still holding the spoonful of porridge in front of her. "I caught you to stop you from hurting others, but I also caught you because I wanted to help you. You don't seem weak like your previous trainer believed. You showed me how strong you are when you attacked Misato and I earlier today, even though you were weakened from not eating enough. You're a powerhouse…and you'll only get better."

"Me… Char…"

Shinji managed to get her to eat at least five spoonfuls of porridge. Then, an idea hit him.

"Wait a minute," he told them, handing the bowl back to one of the Chansey and ran out of the room.

It was about a minute, but Shinji had returned, accompanied by Kensuke; he figured that, since he had also been abandoned by a previous trainer, his Pidgeotto would be able to help her adjust since he would be keeping her in his roster of traveling companions.

"Meet Kensuke," he introduced them.

"Pidgeo," Kensuke greeted her.

"Char…"

"Pidgeo, pidgo, pidgo, go ("I was strong when I met this trainer, and being with him made me stronger."). Pidgo, pidgeo, go ("I was abandoned by my previous trainer because they thought I was weak, too."). Pidgeo, go ("But being with him changed everything.")."

"Char, char, char ("A man with a tie cast me aside."). Charmeleon, char ("I swore to never trust people again."). "Charmeleon, meleon ("Why trust him?")?"

"Pidgeo, go, go ("Because he's an honest person."). "Pidgo, pidgeo, go ("He could've cast me aside, but he didn't.). Pidgeo ("I'm grateful.")."

Shinji didn't know what they were talking about, but he was hoping that Charmeleon would accept that he wouldn't cast her aside.

-x-

The next day, as they stepped out of the Pokemon Center, Shinji, hearing that a Badge Guardian helped around the Celadon City Gym by battling trainers in place of the Gym Leader, Erika, who would perform her duties as the Gym Leader from time to time, wanted to get there and earn another badge before moving on.

"Eee," went Misato, looking up at her trainer, just as Kensuke flew out of the building and perched atop Shinji's head. "Eee?"

"Pidgeo?" Kensuke uttered, looking behind them as Shinji turned to face the person stepping out behind them.

"Char," the female Charmeleon, now sporting a series of bandages wrapped around her waist and wrists, stepped out and decided to try and trust this new trainer and see what he was capable of.

"Are you feeling up to the new day? Asuka?" Shinji asked her; because of her fiery disposition and unwillingness to bow down, he decided to nickname her after the only redhead he knew to have a violent streak.

"Char," she responded.

Shinji wasn't entirely convinced that he should have Asuka fight in battles just yet, but decided to go to the department store again to get something new from the accessories aisle.

To be continued…

A/N: What do you think? Now he has a Fire-Type nicknamed after the redhead with an attitude.


	10. Baptism by Faith

Creation began on 06-26-16

Creation ended on 07-30-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Baptism by Faith

They weren't anything like the ribbon she had received from her previous trainer, but Asuka had to admit that she admired what her new trainer had gotten for her.

Shinji, to replace the ribbon Asuka had lost prior to being captured, purchased a pair of elastic/metallic wristbands that he had engraved, _"To Asuka, to symbolize a new beginning."_

"Me… Char…" She expressed, raising her arms up and examining the bands that now covered her bandages. "Char."

"I take it you like them?" Shinji asked her.

"Meleon," she nodded.

The next stop they made was to the Celadon Gym, which, according to the Nurse Joy of the Pokemon Center, specialized in Grass Pokemon than anything. But with a Badge Guardian there, the chances of facing Grass Pokemon were slim. Although, even if there was a chance of it happening, Shinji didn't want to put Asuka in a battle so soon after she just left the hospital.

The gym was quite large, but for some reason, it just reminded Shinji of a large, metallic flower with a new paint smell to it.

"Time to earn another badge, Misato," he told his Eevee.

"Eee!" She agreed with him.

"Meleon," Asuka added in, and they followed Shinji into the gym.

-x-

"… I take it that SEELE wasn't in agreement that the Giovanni Corporation should be in compliance with NERV, Ikari?" Fuyutsuki asked Gendo, noticing that the latter was in another one of his moods after a meeting with the masters behind the paramilitary agency whenever things didn't go his way.

Gendo, displeased with being ordered by SEELE not to mess with a corporation that wasn't interfering with the scenario (even though their current research involved the Third Child), felt that the Giovanni Corporation would've gotten better results much faster if NERV had a more direct involvement. But because he was ordered not to bother their way of handling their project, there was little he could do beyond the receiving of video footage from the corporation whenever Major Katsuragi was informed.

"By the time they could get anywhere with their project, we could be at the mercy of the Angels," he expressed, but this was just to mask his own goals of completing his scenario before the Angels or SEELE could achieve theirs. "Or the Third Child could be old enough to no longer be useful at the pace he's going."

Fuyutsuki then expressed, "He's not sure how many of these…Pokemon he needs to catch in order to return to this dimension, Ikari, but if he's trying to catch as many as possible, it's not something you can rush just because you desire it to be so. He's just one person in a world surrounded by strangers, trying to survive. And he was asked to question whether or not his goal to return will be worth his hardships."

 _Worth his hardships?_ Gendo thought, feeling that anything his son did wasn't worth even his most barest of attention. _If he can't pilot the Eva, what use is he at all?_

Meanwhile, in the NERV cafeteria, Misato was replaying the old footage of Shinji in the other dimension on a tablet, reviewing the creatures he had seen or caught during the time he was there (along with trying to estimate the age he was in the footage that showed him being much older than a teen or young adult). So far, she could guess that he would've been there for over twenty years or so if he was still looking for a way back home, meaning he had to be at least over forty years old over there…and he had probably encountered over two-hundred-ninety different Pokemon…and it still wasn't enough to get him home.

 _I really don't want to have to see him on or near his deathbed by the time he comes back,_ she thought, really hoping to the gods that Shinji or the Giovanni Corporation found a way back for the boy.

In nearly every photo image, one of the most common of these Pokemon Shinji was seen with was the brownish fox that he nicknamed after the purple-haired, which didn't seem to show much in the aging department; in fact, the fox didn't look like it aged much at all like Shinji did.

-x-

"…Mite," the Badge Guardian's Magnemite went as it stopped floating and fell onto the field.

"Aaaurgh!" He groaned, taking out his Poke Ball and recalling his Pokemon.

The battle had only started, and Shinji was doing well with Toji as he demonstrated his new technique that allowed for Asuka to be captured. He found out it was called Stone Edge, and it was really effective against Electric Pokemon like Magnemite.

"Way to go, Toji!" He cheered his Larvitar.

"Tar! Larvitar!" Toji replied with a small bow.

"Char…" Asuka congratulated the little Pokemon for his victory against the Magnemite.

Erika had to give the boy praise for defeating the Badge Guardian's first Pokemon, but wanted to see how he was going to fare against his remaining two.

"Let's see how well you do against Cloyster!" The Badge Guardian declared, tossing his second Poke Ball, unleashing a man-sized clam onto the parched field.

"Oh, my gosh!" Shinji gasped; he had never seen anything like this before in his time here, and took out his Pokedex to identify it.

"Cloyster, the Bivalve Pokemon, and the evolved form of Shellder," it revealed. "The durability of its shell makes it resistant to most explosives. Cloyster only opens its shell when engaging in attacks."

"Good grief," Shinji expressed; the Cloyster displayed by his Pokedex looked intimidating enough. _And it's a Water/Ice Pokemon. Toji's no match against either right now. My best recourse is Kenji._

And with that, he called his Larvitar back and released his Pikachu.

"Chu!" Kenji expressed, looking at the Cloyster. "Pika!"

"Just do your best, Kenji!" Shinji encouraged him.

"Meleon!" Asuka clapped her claws in support of the Pikachu.

"Eevo!" Misato added in.

-x-

"…For the Unit-03 activation test, we'll be using the First Child," said Ritsuko to Misato as they walked down the hall to the faux-blond's office, "and for the Unit-04 activation test, we'll be using the Fourth Child."

"The Fourth Child's been found already?" Misato questioned; she didn't receive any report from the Marduk Institute."

"I received the report eight minutes ago. This is who was picked."

Misato was left hollow at the picture of the boy picked to pilot Unit-04. She thought it would've been someone a bit more stern or headstrong like Asuka, but not this kid. For once, she was glad that Shinji wasn't here right now to question this, because she suspected that he would be against it.

-x-

"…She volunteered to activate Unit-03?" Fuyutsuki asked Gendo, concerned that Rei actually requested to participate in the activation of one of the two Production Evas.

"She insisted on doing so," Gendo explained. "She explained that with the advancement of the Production Evas, Unit-00 has become an obsolete design."

"She's actually right. Unit-00 is just a prototype with some errors that can't be fixed. But why not have her pilot Unit-01 instead of Unit-03?"

"She'll pilot Unit-01 after the Unit-03 activation test, after which, we'll find a permanent pilot for Unit-03. As we're short a pilot, we need to be prepared for future Angel attacks."

"And not only because we may not have the time to wait for your son to return on his own?"

"There's no guarantee that he'll even be able to return."

Fuyutsuki didn't like how Gendo looked down on Shinji and didn't have any faith in him to find his own way back from this other world he was in. He, on the other hand, had faith in Shinji's ability to get back on his own. And as he had said earlier, this wasn't something you could simply rush.

"The activation tests will take place three days from today," Gendo informed him.

-x-

"…Chu!" Kenji shouted, using his Thunderbolt on Cloyster, electrocuting it after narrowly dodging its Spike Cannon and Aurora Beam attacks.

Shinji hoped that, because Cloyster was primarily a Water-Type with Ice-Type capabilities, his Kenji's electrical attacks would be able to outdo the Bivalve Pokemon's defenses and earn him another step closer to his entry into the Kanto League.

"Cloy… Cloyster," the Cloyster moaned in minor agony. "Cloyster."

It had been electrocuted by Kenji at least five times, but it continued to put up resistance and Shinji wasn't sure how much longer Kenji could go until he ran out of electricity.

"Cloyster," the Cloyster then turned to its right side and fell over, its facial expression that of a person knocked out in a battle.

"Aaurgh, my Cloyster!" The Badge Guardian groaned in defeat of another of his Pokemon, and recalled it back to its Poke Ball.

"Way to go, Kenji!" Shinji praised his Pikachu.

"Eevo!" Misato added in.

"Char, char!" Asuka expressed, as well.

"Pika!" Kenji responded back.

"You might've gotten lucky with my first two Pokemon, but now the kid gloves come off!" The Badge Guardian stated, holding up another Poke Ball. "Meet my strongest Pokemon!"

He tossed the ball and it unleashed a new creature that Shinji had never seen before.

"Aaaurgh!" The Pokemon grunted, stomping its front legs.

To Shinji, it looked like an animal he once heard of called a cow, but the coloring was wrong, and it had three tails.

"Who's that Pokemon?" He wondered, using his Pokedex to identify it.

"Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokemon," Dexter addressed. "When taking aim at a target, it will whip itself with its three tails to raise up its determination. Tauros are among the more endangered species of Pokemon due to being hunted by poachers."

"Yikes," Shinji expressed; he had faced large Pokemon before, but a Tauros was a new one for him, and this one was frightening enough. _I've already used Toji and Kenji so far, but they're not likely going to be strong enough to face this Tauros. Who else is there? I can't use Rei. Kensuke's attacks would be minimal at best. And Misato wouldn't stand a chance against it._

He left out Asuka for the reason being that she was still recovering from her time on her own after her previous trainer abandoned her. He never heard of any trainer using an injured Pokemon to fight. Then, holding out Kensuke's ball, he prepared to make his choice.

"Char!" Asuka stopped him by grabbing his left arm, keeping him from throwing the ball. "Char."

He looked at her and then at the Tauros.

"Are you sure?" He questioned. "You're still recovering. I wouldn't want to put you through a battle until you were well."

"Meleon!" She gave a smile that seemed full of confidence, but the attitude made it look sadistic in a strange way.

Shinji then looked down at Misato…and then over at Kenji, who was already experiencing fatigue from overuse of his electrical energy.

"Eevo!" Misato encouraged him to make a better choice.

"Do your best out there," he uttered. "I choose you, Asuka."

-x-

Kensuke Aida couldn't believe his luck when he was asked to the principal's office two days ago. At first, he thought it had something to do with his skipping school to film warships associated with the Navy and Air Force factions, but then saw the woman with blond hair and she said that NERV wanted him to become a pilot for one of their Evas. It was like a dream come true for him when he accepted without so much as questioning the dangers involved. All he really knew was that one of his friends was stranded in another dimension, and that left an opening until there was a way for him to return to this one. He had no ill will towards Shinji, whatsoever.

And now, he stood before Unit-04, the Eva he was picked to pilot as it was being prepped for its activation test.

"Marvelous," he expressed.

"What is marvelous?" He heard Rei ask him, and he had forgotten that she was here, too, testing Unit-03 for NERV until another pilot could be found.

"Oh! Rei, I… Unit-04 looks marvelous. That's all." He explained.

The albino girl looked at the silver Eva and responded, "I wouldn't really know for certain. The activation tests for both Evas will begin in the next hour."

And so he left to change into his plugsuit.

-x-

"A Charmeleon, huh?" The Badge Guardian expressed. "Would it, by any chance, be the one I heard was harassing other trainers on the road between here and Saffron? I'm surprised that you would want anything to do with another trainer's problem."

"You take the time to bond with a Pokemon, and you'll find what others have claimed to be either honest…or false in their beliefs," Shinji retorted; he saw no sign of weakness in Asuka, neither before he caught her or after they left the Pokemon Center. "Okay, Asuka, use Flamethrower."

"Char!" Asuka spat out a stream of intense flames at the Tauros' head, leaving burns all over its fur and horns. "Charmeleon!"

"Aaurgh!" Tauros reacted, whipping itself with its tails.

"Use Take Down, Tauros!" The Badge Guardian ordered, and Tauros charged towards Asuka.

"Asuka, evade!" Shinji commanded, and the Flame Pokemon leapt out of the way.

"Okay, maybe I've underestimated you a little more than I intended to, but you're still no match for Tauros," the Badge Guardian declared. "Now, attack with Ice Beam!"

 _Ice Beam?!_ Shinji thought, seeing Tauros turn around to face Asuka, opening its mouth…and unleashing a glowing stream of blue light.

Asuka dodged, but her left arm was still struck by the beam, encasing it in ice!

"Oh!" Shinji gasped, never believing that a bull could use a move associated with Ice-Type Pokemon. "Asuka, are you alright?"

Asuka looked at her frozen limb…and breathed fire on it, thawing it out.

"Meleon!" She growled.

"Okay, use Slash!"

She raised her claws up and charged towards the Tauros.

SLASH! She got it on its left side, leaving three slash marks.

"Aaaaurgh!" Tauros groaned; this Charmeleon was tough for a Pokemon smaller than itself.

"Use Ice Beam again!" The Badge Guardian commanded again. "Turn that fire lizard into an ice cube!"

-x-

Misato didn't like this. It wasn't that NERV was performing an activation test on two new Evas, but that Kensuke Aida was selected as the Fourth Child. The only thing that interfered with her presence being a requirement for the tests was the Giovanni Corporation needing her present because they were going to perform another live feed test with Palkia.

To remedy this, the corporation gave the paramilitary agency a telepresence drone for Misato to participate in the test at the facility in Matsushiro.

"I don't understand how it's necessary for you to be there if it's just to activate something," Antonio told Misato as she used the tablet to communicate with Ritsuko while he sat at the control console as his team prepared to begin the filming process.

"It's just that a commanding officer is always needed," she explained.

"If you ask me, I don't find it morally ethical to use kids as soldiers in a war against giant monsters."

"As much as I agree with you on that, the Evas are only compatible with people born after Second Impact. And now we're short a pilot."

"Personal question, but has anyone died using those Evas?"

"Not yet."

"That bothers me. The 'yet'."

"We're ready to begin the experiment again, Mr. Giovanni," one of the women informed Antonio.

"We're about to ago ahead with the activation test, Misato," went Ritsuko through the intercom of the drone in Matsushiro.

"Great," both Antonio and Misato responded.

"Great?" Ritsuko echoed. "You do know that if these two become operational, they'll be under your command authority."

"Operational authority on four or five Evas? If NERV wanted to, we could conquer the world."

"If we can break inter-dimensional travel, I'll be among those that will abandon that world if it falls into another dictatorship," Antonio expressed his personal concerns.

In front of the drone in the Matsushiro facility, Ritsuko felt that Antonio Giovanni lacked any measure of faith in NERV or the Evas.

-x-

Asuka blocked the Ice Beam with her Flamethrower, creating a standoff, but she had to admit that this Tauros was stronger than she was.

"Hang in there, Asuka!" Shinji encouraged her.

Unfortunately, because she was nowhere near the full strength she would've been fully recovered, her Flamethrower wasn't as strong as the Ice Beam. The stalemate was starting to shift in the Tauros' favor.

"Asuka, duck!" Shinji ordered her, and she ceased her Flamethrower to dodge the Ice Beam. "Slash!"

She ran over and slashed the Tauros on the right side.

"Take Down, Tauros!" The Badge Guardian commanded.

"Aaurgh!" Tauros snarled as it tried to smash Asuka into the ground, but she managed to avoid its assault. "Aaaurgh!"

It tried Take Down again, but Asuka evaded again.

Shinji noticed how Asuka was doing well for a Pokemon not yet fully recovered, but then noticed the flame at the end of her tail looking smaller. He then took out his Pokedex again to understand more about the Charmander species that Asuka came from.

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon," Dexter went. "The flame on its tail sparks right from birth. It is said that a Charmander dies if its flame ever goes out."

When he checked and found that this applied to all of its evolutionary stages, he felt the need to worry more about Asuka. He wanted to call her back, but she seemed to have the battle under control, so long as she avoided the Ice Beam.

Skid! Asuka backed away from the Tauros, panting as she caught her breath.

"Char… Char…" She panted.

"Asuka, take a break!" Shinji then suggested, seeing that she needed to rest some more.

"Meleon!" She shook her head in the negative; this Tauros was a strong combatant, and she wanted to be the one to defeat it. "Charmeleon!"

"You got a toughster for someone that looks like they should still be in the Pokemon Center," the Badge Guardian praised Shinji, "but how long can it go on before it succumbs to fatigue?"

Shinji had no answer to that question, even if he wanted to know the answer.

"Ice Beam, Tauros!"

Tauros used Ice Beam again, but this time, Asuka was ready with Flamethrower. It created another standoff, lasting much longer than the previous one.

"Eevo!" Misato cheered Asuka on.

Unfortunately, the standoff didn't last…as the Ice Beam pushed the Flamethrower backwards.

"Asuka, get out of the way!" Shinji ordered, but it was easier said than done.

FLASH! The Ice Beam stopped the Flamethrower…and encased Asuka in ice.

"Oh, no!" Shinji gasped, seeing how the ice had covered the entire Charmeleon, down to even her tail. "Asuka!"

"Eee! Eevo!" Misato went.

Crack! The ice surrounding Asuka cracked, began to thaw, and shattered, releasing the Charmeleon from the icy imprisonment.

"Char!" Asuka snarled, enraged by the attack that caused a halt in her fiery assault.

GASP! Everyone watching the battle awed at the Flame Pokemon.

Or rather, what they couldn't see.

"What on Earth?" The Badge Guardian covered his mouth; this was a first in his history of seeing extreme happenings in the world of Pokemon.

-x-

"…Harmonics are well in the green and his synchronization is holding at fifty-three percent," a female technician informed Ritsuko, going over Kensuke's connectivity to Unit-04.

"The First Child's synchronization, however, is unusual," another female technician uttered from her console. "It keeps fluctuating between forty and seventy percent."

"Rei, concentrate on what you're doing," Ritsuko ordered the girl.

"I am, Doctor Akagi," responded Rei to her.

Suddenly, the alarms went off.

"What's going on?" Misato asked through the telepresence drone present.

"We're getting an unknown reading from Unit-03!" A male technician revealed.

The observation room in front of Unit-03 began to rattle, and the drone turned to face the black Eva, which started move, despite the restraints put in place to keep it from doing so.

"There's a blue pattern!" Another male technician shouted, and the back of the Eva's Entry Plug's external, protective casing began to pull away from the rest of it.

"It can't be," Misato said through the drone. "An Angel?"

The last thing Misato saw through the drone was a blinding light…and the connection between the drone and the tablet was severed.

-x-

"Oh, no," Misato sighed, putting the tablet down, realizing that she needed to get to NERV HQ quickly to prep Unit-02. "I gotta go."

"Go," Antonio responded to her. "The footage is being recorded. You'll get it when the test is done."

"Thank you."

-x-

Someone could've said to stop the match. Someone could've said that she needed to get to the Pokemon Center. But nobody said anything. And the Charmeleon…didn't seem at all affected by what happened to her.

Her tail, which had the flame that symbolized her lifeforce, now lacked the very flame.

Shinji ran over to Asuka and checked her arms, waist, neck and tail, but other than her previous injuries, she seemed fine.

"Asuka…are you alright?" He asked her.

"Char!" She nodded in the positive.

Shinji wanted to ask someone that knew more about Fire-Type Pokemon, but he wasn't sure about anything right now. Except for what his Charmeleon informed him, and that was that she was okay.

"Uh…we're good here," he told them all.

"Are you sure?" The Badge Guardian questioned. "Your Charmeleon's… It should be… This can't be right. I mean, the flame's out! It should be dead!"

"You're not the only one that feels that this is unusual, sir."

Even though it was, without a doubt, the craziest thing ever seen in a match, the referee permitted the battle to resume.

"Okay, Asuka, use Slash!" Shinji commanded.

"Meleon!" Asuka responded, charging at the Tauros with her claws held high.

"Tauros, use Fissure!" The Badge Guardian ordered.

 _Oh, no, not Fissure,_ Shinji realized; Fissure, like Horn Drill, was a one-move that could end the match.

Asuka must've realized this, as well, and jumped up off the ground as the Tauros raised its front hooves, avoiding the Fissure attempt by landing onto its head, grabbing its horns, being swung around.

The Tauros performed its ordered attack, but since the Charmeleon wasn't on the ground, it was a missed attack.

Asuka then slammed her tail on Tauros' head, hard, knocking it to the ground.

"Grrr!" It roared, getting back up on its feet. "Grrr!"

"Char!" Asuka roared, opening her mouth…and unleashing an attack that clearly wasn't a Flamethrower in Shinji's eyes; he had never seen a Fire-Type attack that reminded him so much of an Asian character.

"Whoa!" He gasped; even Misato was surprised by the attack Asuka unleashed.

When the flames given off by the attack dissipated, the Tauros and Asuka were seen standing several feet away from each other, panting from the exhaustion and injuries they had sustained from the latest attack employed by Asuka. The Tauros' head was covered in burns, but it still looked like it had some fight left in it to keep going.

"What was that?" Shinji wondered.

"Eee," added Misato.

Suddenly, the Tauros fell onto its left side and fainted, leaving Asuka as the only Pokemon left standing that could continue.

"My Tauros!" The Badge Guardian cried out, and then recalled it into its Poke Ball. "Congratulations, kid. You beat my best Pokemon. I've never seen anyone take on a Fire Blast head-on before."

"That was Fire Blast? I had no idea. I didn't know Asuka knew that move."

Asuka came over to Shinji and raised her right claw up, performing a gesture he recognized, even though it lacked two more digits (so long as it was recognized by people that had seen the gesture, there was no offense). But what had her new trainer on edge still, though, was the lack of flame on her tail.

"Here's your Rainbow Badge," the Badge Guardian awarded him, presenting him with his fifth badge. "You should probably get your Charmeleon checked out at the Pokemon Center."

"That's where I'm heading," he told him, wanting to make sure that Asuka was fine.

-x-

It was disturbing. The Central Dogma bridge crew were left appalled by the latest Angel. It looked just like Unit-03, but its arms dangled in a fashion similar to the Third Angel's. There was no denying that it was the Eva that was being tested alongside another Production Eva, but how it became an Angel was unknown to them.

An attempt was made to force-eject the Entry Plug, but the unusual, fungus-like growth that appeared around the plug prevented it from being removed from the possessed Eva.

"What about the pilot?" Fuyutsuki asked the crew.

"We're still getting a pulse from within the plug," went Hyuga, "but beyond that, nothing else."

Gendo didn't react to this revelation with much emotion and declared, "Send out Unit-02 to engage the target at Mt. Nobe."

It was the way he announced it. He addressed Unit-03 as a target, not as an Eva. He didn't even consider the pilot's life, either.

-x-

All he could do was wait for Nurse Joy to return with news of Asuka's condition. He had his concerns, even after she had claimed she was fine. The small thought that returning her to her Great Ball would somehow undo the lack of flame on her tail long forgotten as he sat in the waiting area with Misato, trying to reevaluate what was going on.

"Eee?" Misato went, getting his attention. "Eevo."

"I'm sure Asuka's fine," he told her, but still looked up at the door to the room, waiting for Nurse Joy to show up. "She's tough, but it's never wrong to get a second opinion."

The door suddenly opened and Nurse Joy and a Chansey came inside.

"Your Charmeleon really took an Ice Beam from a Tauros and survived?" She asked him.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered. "Is she…doing well?"

"This is actually beyond my knowledge of Pokemon physiology. Anyone that knows everything about this type of Pokemon knows that it can't survive without its tail flame…and yet, this one's doing just that. Besides her previous injuries and the lack of a tail flame, your Charmeleon's recovering."

She led him to the room where Asuka was recovering in, and saw her with the other Chansey, but there was no flame on her tail.

"Do you think her tail flame will come back at a later time?" Shinji asked her.

"I examined her tail, and the portion where the flame should be shows no signs of the type of regeneration associated with the species. I'm sorry to say, but her tail flame may never return." She explained to him. "It might if she evolves at a later time, but only time will tell."

Shinji then took out his Pokedex and looked up Asuka's evolutionary stages, stopping at the final form her species took.

"I don't understand how this species evolved over time to require a flame at the end of their tails," he revealed to Nurse Joy.

"Pokemon evolve and adapt differently, depending on their environment. There have been some beliefs, however, that there are Pokemon in other regions, like the Hoenn Region, that have survived for hundreds of millions of years without changing in the slightest degree."

"The Hoenn Region? Just how many regions are there, exactly?"

"Over five of them have Pokemon you wouldn't find here or in the Johto Region."

Shinji soon had the feeling that he would have to visit these regions in order to catch more Pokemon in order to get closer to his way home.

-x-

It may have went against Commander Ikari's orders, but Asuka, rather than attack the possessed Unit-03, got behind it and ripped the Entry Plug out and tripped the black Eva to the ground. After setting the plug down, she proceeded to rip the Eva to shreds. Even if she hated the girl, Asuka couldn't risk NERV being outdone by the Angels due to a decrease in the number of pilots. And on a personal level, she couldn't imagine the response from Shinji if he ever did return and find out that a number of people were gone while he was away and had to find his own way back.

When there was nothing left of Unit-03 to rip into pieces, the redhead announced, "The Angel has been dealt with."

"Good job, Asuka," went Misato over the intercom; even if Commander Ikari had tried to override her authoritarian command over the operation as Ritsuko had with the Twelfth Angel, the purple-haired woman was pleased with the choice Asuka made to save Rei instead of doing away with her and the Thirteenth Angel.

-x-

"…You managed to win your fifth badge with your Charmeleon, even though it seems like her tail's flame is permanently extinguished?" Professor Oak questioned Shinji over the video phone.

"Yes," he answered back. "I still have my concerns for her, though. Her species need their tail flames to survive, but now she's without hers, which I blame myself for because I didn't anticipate the level of that Ice Beam attack, and it doesn't seem to affect her in any way that is fatal."

"It's one of the amazing things about Pokemon. They're full of mysteries and surprises. You can spend decades studying them, and they'll still surprise you with what they're capable of. Still, I must say, congratulations on capturing your Charmeleon and obtaining your fifth badge. I look forward to seeing you when you return to Pallet Town after you obtain your eighth badge. Good luck."

When the transmission ended, Shinji breathed a breath of relief.

"Yeah, they do surprise you with what they're capable of," he agreed with Oak's choice of words.

"Eevo?" He looked down at Misato and smiled.

"Well, you do surprise me when you do things I have no clue about."

-x-

"…We found another survivor over here!" Ritsuko heard as she awoke from her concussion. "Get me some help over here!"

"Ohh…" She groaned as she tried to get up.

"I wouldn't try to get up just yet," she heard Kaji's voice cut through the noise around her. "Your left leg has three fractures."

She turned her head to the right and saw him, sporting a sling on his left arm.

"What happened to Units-03 and 04?" She asked him.

"Unit-03 had to be taken out as an Angel," he answered, "and as for Unit-04, it only suffered minor damage. The only problem right now are the pilots."

"What happened to the pilots?"

"Well, Rei got a broken arm and two broken ribs…but the Fourth Child's in a coma."

"A coma? How is that possible? You said the Eva he was in suffered only minor damage."

"You would refer to it as cerebral hemorrhage due to blunt force trauma. When the Angel caused the explosion, the boy somehow banged his head against the plug."

"Careful with his head there," Ritsuko heard another man and saw a stretcher being carried away, holding the incapacitated Fourth Child with a bandaged head.

-x-

"How are you doing, Asuka?" Shinji asked his Charmeleon as he, her and Misato walked down the path as they left Celadon City over an hour ago.

"Charmeleon," Asuka responded, and gave him a thumb's up with her right arm.

For the time being, he was letting her recover from her injuries and malnutrition outside her Great Ball and accompany Misato. He looked up at the afternoon sky and saw a twinkle in the sky.

"Huh?" He went, seeing something falling towards him. "Oh!"

He, Misato and Asuka ran for cover near the trees nearby and waited for the impact to occur. It felt like two minutes, but he took a peek and saw something that seemed impossible. But the problem with that belief was that he had seen the impossible constantly.

A boy, around his age, dressed in a greenish outfit that looked just like his plugsuit, laying on the ground, soaked in a substance.

"Oh, my!" Shinji gasped and ran over towards the boy; right now, he couldn't concern himself with what was going on, just that he had to help the person.

He wasn't prepared for who the person was he was attempting to aid.

"Kensuke?" He uttered, turning the boy over, finding him out cold.

To be continued…


	11. Welcome and Goodbye

Creation began on 07-30-16

Creation ended on 08-02-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Welcome and Goodbye

A/N: Kensuke's presence in the Pokemon world has interests and problems.

While the loss of Unit-03 was within negligible acceptance, the inclusion of Unit-04 would suffice. The only drawback was the comatose Kensuke Aida, the Fourth Child.

"…Suppose he doesn't wake up?" Asuka asked Kaji, looking out the room holding the incapacitated boy. "Bad enough that Unit-03 was an Angel, but worse that he was picked to pilot an Eva. I mean, he's an otaku, a kid obsessed with wanting to pilot an Eva. He kept asking Shinji to pull strings."

"The only other two potential pilots were considered, but were looked over in favor of Mr. Aida," Kaji explained. "The reason for this was because the Marduk Institute was looking for a pilot of whom the very prospect of piloting an Eva was…desirable."

"Oh, really? That's insane."

"Can you think of anyone besides yourself that would actually want to pilot one?"

-x-

Sitting in front of a small fire, using it to prepare dinner for the night, Shinji looked over where Kensuke laid, wondering how he ended up here. As his Eevee and Charmeleon kept watch over him, this left the young trainer to suspect that something had happened during his journey in the Kanto Region. And judging from only his own state of mind, not a lot of time went by while he was here, since the boy looked as he had the last time he was seen.

"Char," Asuka went, poking at the boy's right arm.

"Asuka, you really shouldn't do that," Shinji told her. "We don't want to harm him."

"Eevo," agreed Misato with him. "Eee."

"Charmeleon." Asuka obliged and sat down beside the boy.

"Ahh…" The boy groaned as he came to.

"Kensuke?" Shinji asked him. "Kensuke Aida?"

"Ah, yeah," he responded, and looked over at Shinji, feeling like he had seen a ghost in front of him. "Shinji? Shinji Ikari, is it truly you?"

"Who else would I be, Kensuke? What happened to you? How was everyone doing before you ended up here?"

"What are you talking about? Where's here?"

"Eevo!"

"Char!"

Kensuke looked over to the two animals that were there…and only recognized the small, fox-like creature that he had seen in the footage he had obtained when he filmed of the _S.S. Rocket_. But the red reptile frightened him.

"Aaaahh!" He panicked, jumping to his feet and backing away from the two.

"Calm down, Kensuke," Shinji told him, putting the lid back on the pot over the fire. "They're friendly. They won't hurt you."

"Who… What are they?"

"My Pokemon. Meet Misato, my Eevee, and Asuka, my Charmeleon."

"Eevo!" Misato greeted him.

"Char," Asuka added.

"You named them after Misato and Asuka?"

"Helps me to stay sane, really."

Kensuke was unsure of what to ask him about how naming these creatures after people he met, but then Shinji took out a ball and opened it, unleashing a bright light that diminished to revealed a large bird, adorned with silver ascot.

"Pidgeo!"

"Kensuke Aida," said Shinji to them, "meet Kensuke, my Pidgeotto."

"Kensuke… Um…hello there," Kensuke greeted the bird that had his name as a nickname.

"Pidgo," Kensuke responded.

Shinji then unleashed his other Pokemon in front of him, surprising him with the different types.

"My God!" Kensuke gasped.

"This is Kenji, my Pikachu."

"Pika."

"Rei."

"Karp."

"And Toji."

"Larvitar."

"Whoa," Kensuke was in awe of these creatures; they were unlike anything he had either seen or read about back home.

-x-

"…This is what's been bothering me so far about the Fourth Child," went Ritsuko to Misato, looking at a computer screen with graphs and numbers.

"What do you mean?" Misato asked her.

"His brainwaves don't exactly read like someone that's in a coma," she explained. "But the thing of it is, I've seen these patterns in the brain all the time."

"Where?"

"From the pilots when they're inside the Evas."

Misato then looked over the computer and at the unconscious boy that was in front of them.

Ring-ring! Her cell phone rang, and she picked up.

"Yes?" She asked.

"It's Antonio Giovanni," the caller responded. "My team just recorded some footage that you need to see. I'm sending it to your tablet right now."

Whoosh! Her tablet received the new video footage and she started playing it.

"No way," she reacted to the footage being displayed.

On her screen was Shinji, walking down a wilderness path with the small fox creature and the red dinosaur, but was now accompanied by another boy that looked exactly like the Fourth Child, dressed in similar clothes as he was dressed in; she could only assume that this was either a stranger he had met…or he loaned a similarly-displaced Kensuke Aida some spare clothes he had until he could get more.

"When did you get this footage?" She asked Antonio.

"This morning," he answered her.

-x-

"Thank you again for the spare clothes, Shinji," Kensuke praised him as he came with the trainer and his Pokemon as they made the journey to Celadon City to shop for clothes and necessities for Kensuke (since Shinji had some to spare on such needs).

"Hey, you're the first familiar face I've seen in months since I became a Pokemon Trainer," Shinji responded, chuckling a little. "I'm glad to know that I haven't been forgotten about. So you finally got to be a pilot?"

"Yeah, but the strangest thing of it is I can't remember anything after this explosion that occurred just after I synced with Unit-04. Rei was inside Unit-03 when this happened."

"Ayanami was inside a new Eva?"

"Yeah, it was just to test it, but then they were going to pair her with Unit-01 and find a new pilot for Unit-03. I am hoping that she's alright, though."

"What about Misato and Asuka? Are they alright?"

"I think they really miss you. It was my camera that gave them the sliver of hope that you were still alive, though. I was filming a ship when footage of you was suddenly there when I was editing. I couldn't believe it myself."

"And if you somehow ended up here, then it's likely the only way you'll get back is if you capture a lot of Pokemon, too."

"How many have you caught so far?"

"Less than twenty, but I will make progress in the future."

As they continued on the path, a new creature popped out of the ground in front of them. It looked like a large, yellow mouse, but not like a Pikachu. It looked like it mimicked a brick wall or ground.

"Shrew!" It went.

"Oh!" Kensuke gasped. "Is that one, too?"

"Yep," Shinji answered, taking out his Pokedex to identify the new Pokemon.

"Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokemon," Dexter addressed. "Because they hates moisture and humid environments, Sandshrew can mostly be found in dry deserts and canyons. Sandshrew can defend themselves against larger enemies by rolling into a ball."

"It's a Ground-Type, as well," Shinji discovered, and decided that he would capture it to show Kensuke what Pokemon Trainers had to do. "Stand back, Kensuke."

-x-

"…Theoretically, the coma the Fourth Child is in as a result of the blunt trauma from the Thirteenth Angel's attack caused the boy's consciousness to travel to the same dimension the Third Child's currently in," Ritsuko explained to Gendo, having 'borrowed' Misato's tablet to quickly copy the footage she had received from the Giovanni Corporation. "The activation test of Unit-04 occurred at around the same time as one of the Giovanni Corporation's experiments in filming through the other dimension."

"It may just be a coincidence," went Fuyutsuki, who didn't feel this was going in a good direction. "It could be a look-alike stranger that has decided to travel with him or they're both just going down the same path for different reasons."

"We won't know for sure until the Fourth Child regains consciousness," said Gendo.

"One of the medical staff is going to try and wake the boy up from his coma," Ritsuko revealed.

-x-

Because he didn't have his Chikorita and his Magikarp was still not a challenge against anyone, Shinji had to resort to his Eevee and Larvitar, as they were experienced and could handle the Sandshrew.

"Okay, Toji, use Stone Edge!" He ordered.

"Tar!" Toji responded, and summoned several stones from the ground and hurled them at the Sandshrew. "Tar!"

"Shrew!" It fell to the ground, but then got back up, only slightly injured.

It turned around and kicked up a stream of dirt at Toji and Misato.

"Sand Attack!" Shinji realized. "Use Swift, Misato!"

"Eevo!" Misato responded and jumped high into the air, did a somersault as her tail glowed and released several, star-shaped energy constructs at the Sandshrew.

"Shrew! Shrew!" The Sandshrew gasped and fell back to the ground again. "Shrew…"

"And when the Pokemon's weak enough, you throw a Poke Ball at it," Shinji told Kensuke, throwing a Great Ball at the Sandshrew. "And now you wait."

Sandshrew became a form of light as it was contained in the Great Ball. The shook on the ground for a few moments…until it stopped, followed by a pinging sound.

"When you hear that sound, that means the captured Pokemon has been successfully caught," Shinji told him, and then picked up the ball. "And Sandshrew is now one of my Pokemon."

"Incredible," Kensuke awed, wishing he seriously had a camera with him.

The Great Ball glowed in Shinji's hand and then vanished from his hold.

"Huh?! Where did it go? The ball exploded?" He asked him.

"No, nothing of the sort," Shinji explained further what he knew. "As a Pokemon Trainer, you're only allowed to have six Pokemon on hand with you at any time. Whatever Pokemon you have caught that are over the six-limit are automatically transported to wherever you got your Pokedex from. Since I got mine from Pallet Town, that's where the Sandshrew was transported."

"Amazing. I'm starting to want one of my own."

"There's a wide range of Pokemon to choose as a starter in the trainer profession."

-x-

"…Except he's in the trauma ward back at NERV HQ," Misato explained to Antonio in the research facility in front of the secured Palkia. "How can he be with Shinji in that dimension if his body's still in this one?"

"That's something we have no answer to at the moment," he responded, and then looked at the monitor showing new footage being recorded that detailed the displaced Shinji about to approach a city with Kensuke. "Probably something to do with mental faculties being displaced or able to travel across space and time."

"Sounds like science-fiction to me."

"A long time ago, what we do was considered science-fiction, Ms. Katsuragi."

Suddenly, the boy that looked like Kensuke Aida started to keel over and fall to the ground.

"Kensuke!" Shinji gasped, seeing him start to become see-through. "Kensuke!"

"Shinji? What's going on?" The boy asked him.

"Eevo!" The fox whined.

"Charmeleon!" The red dinosaur added.

A moment later, the boy had vanished from sight, leaving no trace that he had been there.

"Kensuke?" Shinji called out. "Kensuke!"

The footage then ceased displaying and Misato's phone rang.

"Katsuragi," she responded. "What?"

-x-

"…They injected him with an adrenaline solution and he slowly came to," said the male nurse to Misato shortly after she arrived in revelation of the Fourth Child awakening from his coma. "But after he revived, he demanded to be left alone. He became agitated."

Outside his room, Misato saw Kensuke sitting on the hospital bed, looking out the window nearby, looking rather depressed.

"I want to see him," she told the nurse, and stepped inside the room.

Asuka, who was present, as well, stayed out of the situation.

"Hey, there," she heard Misato greet the otaku.

"Miss Katsuragi," she heard him respond.

"How are you feeling?"

"Why did they wake me?"

"You were in a coma as a result of the explosion at Matsushiro."

"But…why did they wake me now? I was there."

"What do you mean?"

"Wherever Shinji was. That world he's in, with those animals with all these abilities that he catches. I was there. I saw him. I was with him when he showed me how to catch one of them."

"Are you sure?"

"As I sit here and breathe."

"I believe you, then."

This was something Asuka found unlikely. Even though the boy had been in a coma for less than two days, she found it impossible for anyone to be elsewhere that resided in another dimension while incapacitated. Nothing about it just added up.

"What type of creature did he catch while you were with him?" Misato asked him.

"A mouse called a Sandshrew," Kensuke answered. "He introduced me to the creatures he had with him. A Pidgeotto with my nickname, a Charmeleon after Asuka, a Magikarp after Rei, a Larvitar after Toji and even an Eevee he named after you. He's caught less than twenty of them so far, but he's made progress."

-x-

He wasn't sure why, but Shinji decided to buy extra essentials if he ever met anyone else while on his journey through the Kanto Region in the future.

"Misato…I didn't dream any of that, did I?" He asked his Eevee, stocking up on more food.

"Eee," she answered him, nodding in the negative.

He then stopped in front a display of electronics and looked at a camcorder, thinking of Kensuke.

 _It couldn't hurt to have other reminders than nicknamed Pokemon,_ he thought, and picked up the camcorder after checking the price. "Next stop, Fuchsia City."

To be continued…

A/N: Don't worry, you'll definitely see Kensuke in the world of Pokemon again.


	12. To Connect across Space and Time

Creation began on 08-04-16

Creation ended on 08-22-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

To Connect across Space and Time

A/N: Because time and space are oftentimes viewed differently due to alternate dimensions, there is no answer to the passage of time between one dimension and another.

Until further notice of the Unit-03 incident, any testing involving Unit-04 was suspended until the Eva was checked thoroughly by the technicians. This left Kensuke temporarily on standby with plenty of free time between synchronization tests. But it didn't ease his troubled conscious on account of the fact that he had been unable to try and get in touch with Shinji in the other dimension ever since his brief coma. It had been a month since the incident, but no matter how many times he fell asleep at night, the Fourth Child couldn't return to that strange world.

 _There must be a way,_ he thought, looking on his school PC for methods to reconnect to an alternate universe, but finding no luck.

"Hey, Kensuke," went Toji to him that afternoon, sitting in the desk beside the otaku's. "How you been at NERV?"

"I don't do much of anything there right now," he explained, still trying to find a solution to his objective. "You believe me when I say that I saw Shinji in that other world, right? I mean, I saw him, spoke with him, was introduced to the animals he had with him?"

"At times like this, I don't think I can afford not to believe you," the jock responded. "He actually nicknamed a dinosaur-like creature after the Red Devil?"

"Naming his creatures after people he's met here helps him to stay sane."

-x-

Nearly two months after that time Kensuke just appeared briefly in this world, Shinji, who had ventured into the Safari Zone a week after winning his sixth badge from Koga, the leader of the Fuchsia Gym, had managed to catch some more Pokemon to escape from the depression he felt from feeling like a stranger in a strange place with strangers. While he got by with his Pokemon, it was still hard to imagine how something like this could even happen. How someone he knew could just show up…and then leave as quickly as they arrived.

 _Now…before it can get away,_ he thought, throwing a Safari Ball at the wild Chansey he encountered after feeding it a berry as bait to lower its guard.

"Chansey?" It reacted, seeing the ball and was unable to evade or flee.

Tap. The Safari Ball made contact with it and its body became light, transferring into the ball.

Shinji watched as the ball shook on the grass as the Chansey tried to break free. He waited for it to cease.

Ping! It ceased shaking, and he picked it up.

"That makes forty-five now," he told himself, referring to the number of individual Pokemon he had caught within the Safari Zone. "I'll look for two more Pokemon I don't have, and then return to the Warden's house."

He had managed to catch ten Tauros, eight Ponyta, three Rhyhorn, a Dratini, two Kangaskhan, three Venomoth, three Shellder, five Growlithe, a Duduo, two Weepinbell, three Pinsir, three Scyther, and a Chansey.

"I hope Misato and Asuka are doing alright at the Warden's house," he said, still mildly resentful of the rule that he and other trainers couldn't use their own Pokemon for the duration of their time in the Safari Zone.

Zap. The Safari Ball disappeared from his hand, in accordance to the six-Pokemon limitation.

"Abra…" He heard something in the trees nearby. "Abra…"

"Hmm?" He reacted to the sound. "It sounds like something sleeping."

-x-

"…He looks less interested in what he does," Misato told Antonio as they monitored the current recording of Shinji in the strange wilderness where he had caught a large, pink creature with an egg in a pouch.

"It's not disinterest, Ms. Katsuragi," he responded, recognizing the boy's behavior. "It's loneliness and depression."

"Really?"

"Wouldn't you feel depressed if you met a familiar face for just a short while and then see them leave? It happens."

"I honestly wouldn't know. All my relatives are dead and most of my friends are distant or have left to other parts of the country."

"So, there's nobody that you would experience a sense of loneliness and depression if they just showed up and disappeared?"

"I already miss Shinji. Does that count?"

"Just barely. What of the boy's father? Gendo Ikari, is it?"

"He's, uh… He's indifferent to his son's displacement."

Antonio then looked away from the screens and at her.

"He's indifferent?" He questioned. "No offense, but it sounds more like he's a black-hearted asshole that never should've had any children if he cares nothing for them."

"You have no idea how much I agree with you on that," she told him.

-x-

He had caught two more Pokemon…and then an unexpected bonus Pokemon. Two Abra and a Mankey; when he had seen two Psi Pokemon asleep and caught them, he was attacked by an out-of-control Mankey that just wouldn't stop until Shinji stopped it.

"I think I've had enough of the Safari Zone around here," he sighed as he reached the Warden's house. "I can work with catching wild Pokemon in the wild when aided by my Pokemon, but catching them without my Pokemon is just crazy."

"How was your time in the Safari Zone, young man?" The Warden asked him as he stepped inside and collapsed into a chair.

"Not…what I had expected, sir," he answered him.

"Eevo!" He heard Misato as she ran over to him and hopped onto his lap.

"Me…" Asuka expressed as she stood in front of him.

"I think I'll stink to catching Pokemon the way I know best."

"Maybe, but there aren't that many Pokemon you'll find anywhere but in places like the Safari Zone," the Warden informed him.

Once he was rested, Shinji, Misato and Asuka had left to reach their next destination: Cinnabar Island, where the next gym was located.

"Asuka," he spoke to his Charmeleon. "It's said in my guidebook that Cinnabar Island's gym specializes in Fire-Type Pokemon. How would you feel at facing strong spitfires if there's no Badge Guardian in place of a Gym Leader?"

"Charmeleon!" Asuka responded, slamming her claws together as she smirked.

"Eee!" Misato cheered for her.

"Although…we need to find a boat because we have no other mode of transportation to get across the ocean," he told them; the last time he and Misato had ever been on a boat was when they had to get to their Saffron City destination by getting to a place called Maiden's Peak, where they witnessed a festival celebrated at the end of every summer.

It was also the first time he had encountered the mysterious Ghost Pokemon that existed in this world. It left him somewhat nervous to know that there are Pokemon affiliated with the aspects of the darkness, of fear and the afterlife, that Pokemon that die could return as Ghost Pokemon if something left them unable to move on in peace.

 _And just like living Pokemon, they can be caught and trained,_ he sighed, and looked at the water in front of him on the docks. "Come out, Rei!"

He threw Rei's Poke Ball and released her out in the water.

"Karp! Karp!" Rei splashed happily; unlike his other Pokemon so far, his Magikarp had experienced a recent growth spurt in the last few weeks, as she was now almost the size of a car, which made keeping her safe from anyone that could want her because she was a Shiny Pokemon more difficult.

He took off his backpack and removed a can of vitamin tablets for Rei to take.

"Karp!" Rei's face glowed bright pink as she expressed her happiness.

"Heh-heh-heh," Shinji chuckled, and then turned away from her and took notice of a nearby boat beached on the sand. "Huh?"

It was a large rowboat that appeared to be made of plastic, camouflaged in military colors, and looked as though it could seat at least five people. If it was sturdy enough and was just abandoned, maybe it could be used to make it to Cinnabar Island from here. All anyone needed was enough food to last them the duration of their time at sea, a reliable map…and a strong Pokemon of so that can handle the water.

Shinji checked his map again, and found that this expanse of ocean did lead straight to Cinnabar Island…and the weather seemed fine.

"Do you guys think we could make it to Cinnabar Island with that little boat?" He asked Misato, Asuka and Rei.

"Eevo," went Misato, nodding her head.

"Karp," Rei added in.

"Meleon," said Asuka.

"I better do some shopping to stay prepared, then," he sighed.

-x-

"…Oh?" Kensuke went, looking away from his computer and at the classroom windows.

"What's with you?" Toji asked him.

"For a moment, I… I thought I saw Shinji…at a beach, about to get in a boat with his Pokemon," he explained.

"But…he can't swim. Why would he want to take a boat out into the water?"

Kensuke then took out a blank piece of paper and drew on it. Ever since he was with Shinji in that brief amount of time, the displaced boy had shown him a map of where they were in the world of Pokemon, and Kensuke was fortunate enough to have complete recall of the map.

"Based on what Shinji knew when he showed me a map he had, the world he's in is divided into separate regions. This is the one he's in, the Kanto Region. If he's by water, then he's likely by this location, Fuchsia City…and that's where he would have to leave to get to this location, Cinnabar Island."

Toji looked at the drawing and wondered, _Why would Shinji want to go to an island?_

"Because of this profession he's taken that many others before and after him have taken, it's a requirement that he travel to places like this that have a gym in order to compete in this…Pokemon League. You compete in the league…and you're pretty much one of the best trainers within the region…maybe even the world."

"So…you catch these creatures…you train them to face other creatures, to get stronger…and you're among the greatest of men and women that train these creatures?"

"Yeah… More or less."

"Attention, please," went a female voice on the loudspeakers. "Will Kensuke Aida please report to the principal's office? That is all."

"What the heck did you do this time?" Toji asked him.

"I haven't done anything," he responded, and got up and left the classroom.

-x-

He might as well have bought the whole set of bungee cords at the store, but Shinji didn't want to overdo what he was planning. While present-day Magikarp weren't as incredible as they may have been in the ancient past, he was confident that Rei, being as big as she was right now, would be able to help them all make the journey from Fuchsia City to Cinnabar Island.

"…So you're actually going to try to get to Cinnabar Island on that dingy boat?" The clerk asked him as he paid for the cords and about a week's worth of food; Shinji was unsure about how long it would take them to get to Cinnabar Island, so he got a week's worth just to be sure.

"I've done crazier things," he told the man.

"Most people would try to fly there or take an ocean liner on account of it being safer due to the ocean being full of Water Pokemon that aren't very friendly with anyone. I mean, there are Tentacool and Tentacruel, Gyarados, Seadra, Kingler and Cloyster among other Pokemon that are not so friendly. Unless you have a type advantage to defend yourself, you're asking for trouble. Flying, Grass or Electric Pokemon are your best best."

"Unfortunately, all I have right now are my Pidgeotto and Pikachu. I'm hoping, however, that we don't have any trouble while out at sea trying to get to Cinnabar Island."

"Good luck. All I hear about that place is that it's a tourist resort."

"So long as there's a gym there or even a Badge Guardian, it'll be a journey well spent."

Soon enough, Shinji stepped out of the store and ran back to the beach where the boat was still, watched by Misato and Asuka.

"Okay, let's get ready to head out to Cinnabar Island!" He told them.

"Eevo!" Misato cheered.

"Char," added Asuka.

-x-

Gendo didn't like this, and he didn't like that he was the last person to know about this. The Giovanni Corporation had requested the participation of the Fourth Child in another experiment of theirs, under the delusion that because he claimed to be wherever the Third Child was, albeit temporarily, that it was possible that he could try to help them establish contact with him again. The worst part of this was that this was only because the Fourth Child wasn't piloting Unit-04 for the time being, making him useless at the moment, which gave the company trying to crack inter-dimensional travel an excuse to request the boy's aid.

"…Unfortunately, they approached him at the school, same as NERV did," said Ritsuko to him in his office. "This was during school hours and on school grounds. Apparently, Major Katsuragi was also present when a representative from the Giovanni Corporation came and asked the Fourth Child about his sojourn experience wherever the Third Child currently is."

"And who authorized this with the Fourth Child?" Gendo demanded.

"I did, sir," answered Fuyutsuki, who was also there. "Major Katsuragi contacted me, requesting permission to have the Fourth Child questioned by the Giovanni Corporation due to his personal experience…and I authorized it."

Gendo felt crossed. As the commander, he had the final say in any decision, but Fuyutsuki had usurped this authority and made a decision without his approval.

"And where are they now?" He questioned.

"At the facility that houses that creature they have being studied," Ritsuko answered.

-x-

"…My God!" Kensuke gasped, standing in front of Palkia. "Is this…what I think it is?!"

"We call it Palkia," a woman said to him as she was monitoring an EKG system that showed the creature's heart rate.

"This is one of them," Kensuke expressed, confusing Misato and Antonio.

"What do you mean, Mr. Aida?" Antonio asked him.

"This is a Pokemon, just like the ones I saw Shinji with," he revealed. "I've never seen one this big. He didn't say that they could get so massive."

"I don't think Shinji's encountered one as big as the ones he's already seen," Misato told him.

Palkia, despite being secured within the tank, pressed its claws and head against the glass and looked down at the boy, actually staring at him, right in the eyes.

"Whoa," Kensuke shuddered.

As Antonio quickly ran over to the console to begin recording this, as it was a first ever from Palkia beyond what it usually did in front of them, something unexpected happened that wasn't being anticipated by any of them was a man in a black suit with orange-tinted glasses barging into the chamber, despite a woman insisting that he didn't have any right to be here.

It was Gendo Ikari, looking irritated and like he deserved an explanation.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Giovanni," the woman expressed. "He just barged right in without any explanation to why he was here."

"Gendo Ikari, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Antonio requested of the man. "Your presence may interfere with the recordings."

"Oh, spare me your irrelevant research," Gendo retorted. "I didn't authorize any joint projects that require the use of NERV's pilots and demand that you cease your activities."

Suddenly, Palkia turned to face Gendo, as if facing a person that had every right to be disliked.

"Grr…" It growled, pointing its right claw at him. "Here is the foolish mortal that would dare to move Heaven and Earth, just so that he can be a god."

GASP! Everyone present reacted to the deniability of the creature, this…Pokemon…actually speaking for the first time.

Even Gendo was left appalled by this!

"You…will…fail," it continued.

"It…it's never done this before, right?" Misato asked Antonio.

"No," he answered her.

"What are you?" Gendo demanded.

"I am the guardian of space, opposing the guardian of time. One of two forces that can't exist without the other. And one of the many secrets of existence…that mortals were never meant to understand if they seek to misuse such knowledge for wrongful purposes."

"Uh, does that include finding a way to get to someone who ended up in another dimension or trying to open new dimensions with resources to help this one?" Kensuke asked Palkia.

"To take from places that have no trace of life…does not go against any restrictions," it responded, "neither does attempting to reaching out to rescue a misplaced soul. However, to perform feats that endanger all living things are acts that are punishable by severe extremes. Any that dare to perform as such will only suffer worse than what can be suffered."

"So," went Antonio, slowly approaching Palkia, "just so we understand perfectly… What we, the Giovanni Corporation is only seeking to do, just to help people, to help the world we live in… That…doesn't go against any laws or restrictions?"

Palkia looked at him and expressed, "To perform without so much as a desire to be worshiped or reign over a realm like a lord…does not violate any universal restrictions. However, what this mortal (points its right claw to Gendo) has a desire to do…places everyone in danger, regardless of the danger you already find yourselves in. He…is not to be followed or trusted. He…is one of few that would dare to undo what already is."

And this was the first time a creature that wasn't an Angel or followed any evolutionary line known to human beings demonstrated something that human beings had thought was unlikely. This creature, this Pokemon…demonstrated intelligence as it was able to understand them.

-x-

At least two hours out in the water, Shinji felt like they were making good progress on the way to Cinnabar Island. With Rei pulling the boat at a steady pace and he using the rowing paddles that were present.

"It looks like we're going to be alright," he expressed to Misato and Asuka.

"Eevo," his Eevee cheered.

"Char…" Asuka sighed, looking uncomfortable with being surrounded by water; this likely stemmed from being a Fire-Type and having a vulnerability to water.

Shinji looked at her tail and saw as it wagged around; the lack of a flame, while somewhat depressing, it did open up some possibilities for her to work around her weaknesses.

"Hey, Asuka," he spoke to her. "I'm sure that as time goes on, you'll probably be able to enjoy water like I'm certain that other Fire-Types might around the world."

"Char," she responded; she admired that her trainer was encouraging her to be able to work around her current disability. "Charmeleon."

"Shinji…" He turned his head around and thought he heard someone call his name, but he saw no one there.

"Huh?"

"Eee?" Misato noticed his confusion.

"Misato, did…did you hear anyone just now? Calling my name?" He asked her.

"Eee," she answered him, nodding in the negative.

"But I… I thought I heard someone. Must be wishful thinking."

-x-

Once Gendo was made to leave (not that he had a choice in the matter, that is), Kensuke, once it was known that even if Palkia were able to escape the confines of where it was, it would've been next to impossible for it to travel very far in its current condition, was informed by Antonio of trying to return to the realm that Shinji was in by being in a controlled coma. The aim of this project was to try and reestablish contact with Shinji for as long as possible.

Misato was present as the boy was injected with a barbiturate agent that would keep him out of it for up to five hours while they monitored his brain waves and see if he appeared anywhere near Shinji in the other universe.

"You really think he'll get back there without having an identical reaction like Shinji?" She asked Antonio as they sat at the console.

"After being witness to a creature that could speak like us and reveal some things that seem insane," he responded, "I can only pray that Mr. Aida has luck on his side to reach his friend, wherever he is in that other dimension."

"We'll be able to begin momentarily, sir," a woman informed Antonio.

"That's good. Thank you."

-x-

Deciding to use the camcorder he purchased, Shinji taped the ocean view and the clear skies. It felt soothing to be doing something like this out at sea where there was barely anything to do but wait until you made landfall at an island or continent.

"Hey, Misato, Asuka," he uttered to his Eevee and Charmeleon. "Introduce yourselves to the camera for all to see."

"Eevo!" Misato greeted.

"Char," Asuka added.

"Karp! Karp!" Rei gasped, splashing wildly.

"Rei, what's wrong?" Shinji asked, but saw something emerging from the water in front of his Magikarp. "Aaahh!"

It was a Tentacruel, followed by eight more Tentacruel…and a bunch of Tentacool.

"Oh, no!" He gasped, and took out Kenji and Kensuke's Poke Balls. "You Jellyfish Pokemon just messed with the wrong trainer!"

He let out his Pikachu and Pidgeotto.

"Thunderbolt, Kenji! Gust, Kensuke!" He ordered, making sure that he had some unused Poke Balls in handy; whatever the reason they just showed up, he was going to catch as many of them as he could.

-x-

Kensuke Aida found himself in a strange place. It felt like he was a confined dwelling, but it felt like there was a lot of space available for him. His eyes were open, but all he could see were bubbles and silt.

"Where…am I?" He questioned.

"…Aida…" A female voice called out to him. "Kensuke Aida, can you hear me?"

"Yes," he answered her.

"Where are you?"

"Somewhere…underwater."

"Underwater? Do you see anyone there with you? Do you see your friend?"

As the bubbles and silt cleared away, Kensuke looked up at the undersea world around himself, and was amazed by the sight. Coral, trenches, canyons, fish and eels as far as the eye could see.. But when he looked further ahead, he found he would've preferred a more pleasant sight.

"I see Shinji," he revealed.

"Is he alright?" The woman's voice asked him.

"No, he isn't. He…and his Pokemon…are underwater. Drowning."

Shinji, looking as though he had been unable to hold his breath, released his Eevee as he and his Charmeleon were sinking further down.

"Shinji," Kensuke called out to him. "Shinji, don't give up!"

-x-

They weren't as powerful as he had feared them to be, but Shinji, with the great aid of his Pikachu and Pidgeotto, had managed to capture the nine Tentacruel that attacked them all and at least ten of the Tentacool that were present, sending them back to Prof. Oak in the process. But what he didn't expect to encounter, however, was another Tentacruel that was, lack of a better word, massive. It had to be as big as a skyscraper…and neither his Flying or Electric-Type Pokemon available had the advantage or the strength to continue battling.

"Aaaahh…aaah…" He panicked, recalling Kensuke and Kenji back into the safety of their Poke Balls, and was about to put Misato and Asuka into their Poke Balls, too…until…

Smash! The giant Tentacruel struck the boat with one of its tentacles and shattered it into oblivion, sending Shinji, Misato, Asuka and Rei flying several feet into the air.

"Aaaahh/Eee/Char/Karp!" They all screamed, and crashed into the water.

Shinji, because he still couldn't swim, sank into the water.

"Shinji," he heard someone calling out to him. "Shinji, don't give up!"

But his lungs were already filling with water, so there was no way he could get away.

"Karp! Karp!" He heard and saw Rei swimming towards him. "Karp!"

He tried to reach out to her, but was unable to as he sank further.

 _Misato_ _…_ _Asuka_ _…_ _Rei_ _…_ _I'm sorry_ _…_ _I wasn't expecting trouble like this_ _…_ _and I put you in danger because of my foolishness._ He thought, feeling like he was fading away now.

-x-

"…No," went Misato, seeing Shinji in the other world, sinking underwater. "Someone do something, please!"

Antonio wanted to turn the monitors off, but found himself unable to make any moves that would spare them all any further misfortune of seeing someone die.

Flash! Something in the screens flared.

Misato shielded her eyes and saw something unlike anything she had seen before.

The big fish that Shinji had been using to steer the boat he had been using, the one she was certain was the one Kensuke mentioned was nicknamed after Rei, was glowing brightly, just as the giant jellyfish that attacked them was seen approaching. When the glow faded, the big fish was no longer there, replaced by a large, red sea serpent that looked as though it was bad to the bone all the time.

"My God," went Antonio.

-x-

SPLASH! The water burst like an explosion, and the Tentacruel was sent flying into the air, falling back into the water.

SPLASH! The water burst again and the giant sea serpent emerged, carrying Shinji, Misato and Asuka on its back and carrying them to the nearest patch of land.

"Grraurgh!" It snarled.

-x-

"…Rei…evolved to save Shinji," went Kensuke, having saw this and tried to follow the serpent to wherever she was taking Shinji.

-x-

Gendo was certain that when he informed SEELE of the revelation of the creature the Giovanni Corporation had in their possession being capable of speech and was remarkably intelligent, they would want it dealt with. This…and because he despised the way he was made to leave the Giovanni Corporation's facility after the creature just up and spoke out how he was someone foolish that would move Heaven and Earth just to become a god. Even if there was a chance that nobody that heard this was willing to believe the words of a creature that claimed to be a guardian of space, Gendo was unwilling to risk that possibility that anyone would take the creature seriously.

 _If this were to get out of hand, it will make things difficult,_ he thought, wanting this matter (because he viewed this creature AND the Giovanni Corporation as a problem) taken care of as soon as possible. _Even if this creature brings untold possibilities, my agenda's loss isn't worth the risks involved._

-x-

"…Ah," groaned Shinji as he came to and found himself in a hospital room. "What?"

A female nurse came inside and greeted him.

"You're finally awake," she expressed, helping him up in the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible," he answered her.

"Well, better than the previous day, I suppose. Still, you're getting some admiration from the tourists here."

"Tourists? Where am I?"

"Cinnabar Island Memorial Hospital."

"Cinnabar Island?"

"That's right."

"I…I had three Pokemon with me outside of their Poke Balls. We were attacked by a giant Tentacruel. I caught most of the smaller Tentacruel and Tentacool that attacked us, but our boat was destroyed. Was there an Eevee, Charmeleon and big Magikarp seen with me?"

"There was an Eevee and Charmeleon with no flame on its tail, but there was no big Magikarp. However, you must've had a Magikarp because you were all brought here by a Gyarados that caught everyone's attention."

"A…a Gyarados? Then that means…she evolved."

The nurse walked over to a window and opened it to let it the fresh air.

"You must've did something good to it when it was a Magikarp," she told him, helping him up on his feet and to the window, showing him the therapeutic pool outside the hospital, occupied by the red Gyarados. "She waited around for three days for you to wake up."

The Gyarados was sleeping, watched over by an Eevee, Pikachu, Larvitar, Pidgeotto and Charmeleon. In addition, there were several tourists taking pictures of the Gyarados.

Shinji was surprised by how big Rei had gotten upon her evolution…but even more surprised by how she evolved to save him and the others from a watery grave.

"Thank you, Rei," he praised his red Gyarados.

-x-

"…So far, Mr. Aida's vitals are holding steadily, sir," a man updated Antonio on the boy's medical status in the project.

"That's good," he responded; it had been two days since the experiment, and he had to make sure the boy was kept in stable condition. "Tomorrow, we'll end his induced coma so as to ensure he's not overdoing it."

"Yes, sir."

He left the small room and returned to the chamber where Palkia resided, seeing Ms. Katsuragi looking at the monitors.

"How goes the monitoring of young Ikari?" He asked her.

She looked up at him and answered, "I never realized how much I took small fish from ancient stories for granted until I saw Shinji get saved by one that became a sea serpent."

"I take it he has come to after being taken to that island he was likely heading to?"

"That's right."

He came over and looked at the screen, seeing the young man whose life was saved by a serpent he nicknamed after an albino girl he barely knew standing in front of said serpent.

"You saved us that day, Rei," they heard Shinji say to the serpent, raising his left hand to touch its head, surprising and frightening them with how close he was able to get to it without getting harmed by it when it looked like it could devour him and everyone else present. "Thank you."

What shocked them next was the expression the serpent made in response to such praise and gratitude being given to it. It made a face that, despite its ferocity, seemed like a smile.

"Eh-heh-heh!" Shinji laughed.

"Shinji Ikari," a male nurse called to him as he ran out onto the grounds around the pool. "Do you know anyone named Kensuke Aida?"

"Yes, sir, I know a person by that name. Why?" Shinji questioned.

"He's in the lobby waiting for you."

"It looks like Mr. Aida finally found a way to appear back there," went Antonio.

"This connecting across space and time is so tricky?" Misato expressed.

"That's why it's people that go down this route that try to understand it as best as possible to help people in the unwritten and foreseeable future."

-x-

Kensuke Aida, finally able to just appear on the beach of Cinnabar Island, looked for a hospital (as he was convinced that Shinji needed medical aid since he couldn't swim). He managed to find the only hospital on the entire island and saw the giant, red sea serpent that belonged to Shinji.

Waiting in the lobby, he was greeted by his friend.

"Kensuke, you're actually here?" Shinji asked him.

"For the time being," he answered him.

"You wouldn't believe the time I've spent traveling around ever since you showed up and disappeared. I even bought a camcorder."

"I'd believe whatever you say. I saw your Magikarp evolve and save you from drowning."

"As I've been told, you stay true to a Magikarp and train it, it'll become one of your most dependable Pokemon. I believe that now."

"So…what now for you?"

"My seventh badge of the Kanto League. There's supposed to be a gym here on the island…and I'm not leaving here until I get my badge."

"I'm hoping to see you in a gym battle. I want to see how far you've progressed since I last saw you and just left unexpectedly."

"If you're lucky, you'll see a gym match worth recording."

Kensuke knew that he would have to inform Shinji of the experiment he was participating that enabled him to traveled here with just his consciousness. But for now, he just found out that he recovered from a near-death experience and was still on the rehab and needed to prep his Pokemon for his next gym match, and he wasn't going to ruin his chances of doing something with his life while he was here in this strange world.

"How many Pokemon have you caught since we last met?" He asked him.

"Oh, over a dozen or so," Shinji answered him. "The last Pokemon I caught were some Tentacool and Tentacruel, Jellyfish Pokemon. Water/Poison-Types."

"They have jellyfish?"

"With faces."

"You have your camcorder?"

To be continued…

A/N: Well, I finally got Shinji's Magikarp to evolve into Gyarados and save his life from a watery grave. This just goes to show that Shinji (and maybe Kensuke at some point in the future of his brief moments) is in a world where even the creatures he catch can be his saviors. Peace!


	13. Rage, Power, Gyarados

Creation began on 08-23-16

Creation ended on 10-21-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Rage, Power, Gyarados

"…So, he knows you're involved in an experiment with this creature here?" Misato asked Kensuke, an hour after he was made to wake up from the induced coma that enabled him to project his mind into the dimension Shinji was in when the monitoring ceased.

"Yeah," Kensuke answered her, "he also hopes that I don't get back into the Eva at all. I'm the only familiar face he's seen there that's from around here, and he's seen only two faces there that were familiar because he sees them every time he goes to the Pokemon Center."

"Um, what's a Pokemon Center?" Antonio asked him.

"It's a hospital for Pokemon."

"Basically, an animal hospital."

"Yeah, one in nearly every city or town."

"Traveling around the region, catching Pokemon, facing gyms that specialize in certain types of Pokemon, and competing for this Pokemon League." Misato spoke.

"And he's trying out for this league where hundreds of people want to be the best."

"And he just got into this all shortly after he appeared in that world?" Antonio asked him.

"Yeah."

-x-

Once he learned that there was a hidden Pokemon Gym on Cinnabar Island that specialized in Fire-Type Pokemon, Shinji, taking the time to explore the island, decided that he needed to change up the roster of his Pokemon if he wanted to stand a chance against the gym leader. He knew that he would be keeping Rei in his roster; now that she was evolved, she was all the more stronger, and because she was now a large serpent (and a large serpent that saved his life, no less), it would make traveling by water all the more easy because he discovered that Gyarados could swim faster than most speedboats and was among the best Pokemon to have at your side if you traveled by sea. As he had Rei swim around the island, he, Misato and Asuka were on her back, enjoying the calm breeze.

So far, he would use Rei and Asuka (as he promised his Charmeleon that she would be involved in the next gym match), but if he were to use three Pokemon, he needed to decide on whether to stick with Toji or change out with a different Pokemon at Prof. Oak's.

 _Well, I'm not leaving this place until we get that badge, I'll stick with Rei, Asuka and Toji until further notice,_ he decided, impressed with Rei's speed as she swam around the island. "You're doing great, Rei! You're amazing!"

"Rrrraurgh!" Rei hissed happily.

"Eevo!" Misato praised her.

"Charmeleon!" Asuka added in.

-x-

"…We'll be ready to begin momentarily," a female nurse informed Kensuke as he was being prepped for another sojourn journey to the Pokemon world with just his consciousness. "Are you ready to travel back?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered her, laying down on the medical cot as she injected the barbiturate solution into his IV drip. "They have hot springs on Cinnabar Island because of the volcano…and…Shinji has a giant, red sea serpent that…saved…his life…"

With the drug now taking effect, the boy fell to sleep.

-x-

It wasn't a difficult challenge for Shinji to figure out what the riddle on the card a stranger on the street gave him when he, Misato and Asuka were trying to find lodgings for the duration of their time here on the island after they discovered that the Pokemon Center was over-flooded with tourists. But the fact that the riddle was referring to a clock left him bothered by the fact that he was a stranger in a strange land that he was slowly becoming adjusted towards traveling in…and all he had was time…until he could find a way back to his world. After locating the inn called _The_ _Big Riddle Inn_ and gaining a free room for the duration of his time on the island, Shinji was given a second riddle by the same guy that gave him the card on the street.

"The Gym Leader you're looking for, Blaine," the stranger and innkeeper explained to him, "built his gym in a place where a firefighter could never win."

As he fed his Pokemon dinner, Shinji pondered on the possible location of where Blaine built his gym. So far, he couldn't understand where a firefighter could never win, since there weren't that many fires present where he was from; he hadn't seen any fires with the sole exceptions of the Angel attacks and the use of N² explosives.

"Where could a firefighter never win?" He wondered as he tossed another batch of tablets into Rei's mouth. "Probably a place where water is scarce."

"Or the inside of a volcano, Shinji," he heard someone say behind him.

"Oh!" He gasped, turning around and seeing Kensuke. "How long were you standing there?"

"Before you questioned where could a firefighter never win," Kensuke answered him. "You haven't fought the Gym Leader or Badge Guardian yet?"

"You've only been gone for less than a day since I got out of the hospital. We've found this hotel just three hours ago after figuring out a riddle on how to get here."

Kensuke then looked at Rei, who, despite being one of his friend's Pokemon and having to listen to whatever he said, was intimidated by her fierce appearance.

"I gotta own up to it, Shinji," he told him. "Rei scares me a little. There, I finally said."

Shinji petted Rei's mouth and told Kensuke, "I don't blame you for feeling frightened by Rei. She's a Gyarados now, not a Magikarp. Gyarados are known as Atrocious Pokemon for their rage and tantrums. They can go for days locked in anger, but if anger can be limited or tempered, then any Gyarados can be not just a reliable ally…but a great friend to get you out of a jam."

"Like how she evolved and saved you from drowning?"

"Yeah. But there's no anger really involved in evolving. I mean… Not all the time. There can be other emotions involved in evolution. I'm not entirely sure what Rei's emotions were when she evolved, but I can assume that they included concern for Misato, Asuka and I. My Pidgeotto, Kensuke, evolved to prove that he wasn't weak any longer to those that believed him to be, and that was because I put in the effort to help him bring out his true strength. Not many Pokemon Trainers see the potential in their Pokemon unless they're strong in ways they want, not ways they can adapt to. But whenever I look at them, I see true strength that can surprise you. Even if and when they lose a battle or match, it doesn't change what I have seen in them. I like each and every one of my Pokemon…and I hope that they like me in return."

Kensuke looked at Rei again and calmly approached her and Shinji.

"Is it…okay to touch Rei?" He asked Shinji.

"Yes, of course," he answered. "Just…not too roughly, though."

He raised his left hand up and placed it on the right side of the red serpent's head. It was strange. Her scales, like armor, were like smooth, curved plates of marble. And they glistened, too, like she was a living piece of jewelry that Shinji just obtained recently.

"Beautiful," he expressed.

Shinji then recalled something, and ran over to his bag and pulled out the camcorder.

"Here," he told Kensuke.

"Huh?"

"I can't film my gym matches at the same time as I participate in them. And you're the one that usually films whatever you can that deals with the military."

"Oh. You can count on me to film your success."

"Success and failure. No shame in viewing where you can improve in a conflict or something similar."

-x-

"…So long as Unit-04 remains off the combat roster, the Fourth Child can't be used for anything beyond synchronization testing," went Ritsuko to Gendo in the latter's office. "And if the Fourth Child is the only one so far that is able to contact the Third Child in this other world he is in, it would seem the Giovanni Corporation has the right to ask him for his aid if he is free to offer it."

"And if Unit-04 were no longer suspended from active duty?" Gendo suggested.

"Then it would be a completely different matter. The Giovanni Corporation wouldn't be able to use him as much."

"Make sure that Unit-04 is working order."

"Yes, sir."

If he couldn't get access to that creature or get that organization to bend for him, Gendo would make sure that they would be hindered as much as possible. It wasn't that he didn't expect them to be able to aid his son by watching and monitoring his exploits, but NERV had no time to waste against the Angels if they were short-staffed on pilots for their Evas. And if it meant separating the Third and Fourth Children from one another, then so be it.

-x-

"…So, assuming that there is a gym in the volcano," Misato heard Kensuke say to Shinji the next day on the monitor as they were at this inn near the volcano that he was likely to be talking about, "are you sure you want your three Pokemon to be the ones you selected for the upcoming match?"

"Against the possibility of Fire-Types, Rei, Asuka and Toji are likely my best bet to obtain my seventh badge," Shinji explained.

"Except that Rei's your only Water-Type currently with you."

"While on this journey and facing many different trainers and Gym Leaders, I've learned that it takes more than just a type advantage to overcome your opponent. There's also leveling, strengthening the Pokemon you have with you and strengthening the ones you need to train in order to face a future opponent. I haven't used Rei in any of my battles or matches, but now that she's evolved from all the time I've spent with her, she's strong and developed greater strength, there's more to her than just battling. How else can one travel from one place to another in a large body of water when a boat or plane is unavailable? Also, I promised Asuka that she would compete in the next match, and Toji's a Rock/Ground-Type, which are able to take extreme heat."

"How are you able to know all this, Shinji?"

"As a Pokemon Trainer, I have a responsibility to learn all that I can about Pokemon, their types and specialties, strengths and weaknesses, their diets and habitats, their evolutionary requirements. And there's not just the standard profession. There are Pokemon Breeders, Doctors and Collectors, Pokemon Stylists, Performers, Coordinators, Pokemon Trainers that aren't always who they appear to be, ranging from Swimmers to Janitors, Hikers or even Scientists and Cyclists."

Misato was about to turn away from the monitor to get some coffee when she heard Shinji gasp.

"Misato, wait! That water's too hot for you to bathe in!" He yelled, and Misato saw him try to get the small, fox-like animal that he nicknamed after her climbing atop a fountain shaped similarly to the serpent he nicknamed after Rei Ayanami pouring hot water into a nearby hot spring.

The fountain began to sink into the spring by a few inches…and then a large wall of stone moved away from the side of the hill, revealing an entrance to a tunnel.

"Whoa," Shinji gasped, and his Eevee ran back to him and climbed atop his left shoulder.

"Eevo," she went.

"It looks like you're right, Shinji," she heard Kensuke say to him. "Let's go see where this hidden gym is in the inferno."

"So many professions relating around these Pokemon," went Antonio to Misato. "I'm starting to feel jealous of the young man."

"Oh, don't feel jealous of him," Misato told him. "He is trying to survive there until he catches enough of these animals to get back to this dimension."

"Say he succeeds, just as it's likely the Giovanni Corporation can succeed in achieving inter-dimensional travel, how will his experience there have changed him?"

Misato found herself wondering how Shinji will have changed from his time in a world where there wasn't any actual threat to mankind, trying to get back to one where there was, and not just from the archived footage of him as an older person that may have spent many decades wandering around.

Ring-ring! Her cell phone rang.

"Katsuragi," she spoke as she answered it. "What do you mean? I thought it was put in cryostasis. What did he authorize that for?! Well, it's not like we can have them wake him right now. He's in a drug-induced coma with his consciousness in the other dimension with Shinji."

She then hung up and sighed.

"Something happened that won't sync up with what we're currently doing?" Antonio asked her.

"Yeah," she answered him. "How soon will he awaken from his sojourn coma in the other dimension?"

"At least three days; he was just put back into a coma so we could study the monitoring data we record from him. You can't just wake him after injecting him with enough to last three days. That's like treating addiction with a dull needle; the method you use to help will only lead to more harm."

"Hot mama!" They both turned back to the monitoring screens and saw Shinji and Kensuke inside a large chamber that resembled an underground battlefield, complete with torches lining the stone walls, two pairs of iron doors and a large field built atop a large rock that protruded from a large pool of lava, accessible by several smaller pillars of stone to serve as paths; it was Kensuke, filming the place. "Not even a fire truck could win against a volcano."

-x-

Blaine's hidden gym truly was in the volcano, and it proved to be where nobody had ever seen before; Shinji had seen the lava inside of a volcano before, but never a battlefield inside one!

"Welcome!" He looked at the other side of the gym and saw the hotel manager from before. "How do you like the modified gym?"

"Impressive, but who are you? Are a Badge Guardian representing the Cinnabar Island Gym?" Shinji asked him.

"It's not a hat, but it keeps your head dry, and if you wear it, then it's only because you lost it."

"An umbrella?" Kensuke suggested to Shinji.

"You don't wear an umbrella because you lost something," he told him, trying to understand what the answer was most likely to be. "Is the answer…a wig? That's not a hat, but it keeps your head dry, and you only wear one if you've lost your hair."

"Quite right," the manager expressed, though his voice now sounded different, and he removed his red hair, revealing a bald top with gray hair on the sides. "I'm not a Badge Guardian. I am Blaine, the Gym Leader, and you're the second most qualified trainer to challenge me for the Volcano Badge."

"Second?" Kensuke questioned.

"He's referring to the Pokemon Trainer before me," Shinji suspected. "He's currently on a journey in the Johto Region."

"Shall a three-on-three battle with no time limit suit you?" Blaine suggested.

"That works for me. I'll let you go first."

Blaine took out a Poke Ball and threw it out onto the field, releasing a Pokemon that Shinji hadn't seen before, but felt he'd seen something related to it. It looked like a dog-like creature with a creamy color, slender shape, and nine tails growing out of its base.

"Ninetales," it went.

"What is that Pokemon?" He wondered, taking out his Pokedex to identify it.

"Ninetales, the Fox Pokemon," went Dexter, "and the evolved form of Vulpix. Some cultures have come to believe that due to their nine tails, these Pokemon are able to live very long lives by means of possessing mystical powers."

Shinji also discovered that it was a Fire-Type, something which suited Blaine's preface.

"So beautiful," went Kensuke, already filming everything.

He then took out the Great Ball with Asuka's name and threw it out onto the field.

"You're up first, Asuka!" He called out, and the female Charmeleon was unleashed.

"Char!" Asuka hissed.

"A Charmeleon, huh?" Blaine questioned, but then noticed the lack of a tail flame. "What happened to its flame?"

"She took an Ice Beam and survived," Shinji explained, keeping it simple and brief. "But she's tough. Are you ready?"

"Never fought a Pokemon with a handicap like this before, but I don't go easy on any of my opponents. Ninetales, use Flamethrower!"

"Asuka, you counter with Flamethrower, too!"

Both Pokemon spat out fire at each other, and the flames collided into each other, causing an explosion. When the smoke cleared, the Ninetales had jumped through the smokescreen and tackled Asuka to the ground, biting her left wrist.

"Char!" She gasped.

"Asuka, Slash!" Shinji gasped.

Asuka used her right arm and managed to slash at Ninetales' waist, forcing it to back away.

"Nine!" It growled.

"Okay, now use Tail Whip," Shinji told her.

"Fire Spin, Ninetales!" Blaine ordered.

The Fox Pokemon spat out another stream of fire at Asuka, but it encircled her until it enveloped her completely in flame.

"Charmeleon!" Asuka, within the flames, growled and went after Ninetales.

"Nine!"

BASH! She struck the Ninetales with full-force tackle, sending it to the ground as the flames surrounding her body dissipated.

"Nine…tales…" Ninetales grunted, trying to get up, but failed.

"Whoa, Asuka," said Shinji, surprised by the power she had unleashed. "Nice going."

Blaine was equally surprised by his Ninetales being defeated by a Charmeleon without a flame on its tail, and recalled it back into its Poke Ball.

"Impressive," he congratulated Shinji, "but let's see how you fare against my next Pokemon. Come on out, Rhydon!"

He threw another ball and the new Pokemon Shinji saw was undeniably like that of the Pokemon he had encountered back at the Pewter City Pokemon Gym, only bigger, standing on two legs and had a tail to go with a large drill on its head.

"Rhydon?" He questioned, looking it up on his Pokedex.

"Rhydon, the Drill Pokemon, and the evolved form of Rhyhorn. Due to its armored hide, this Pokemon can survive in volcanic temperatures reaching thirty-six-hundred degrees."

"That's not a Fire-Type at all, is it, Shinji?" Kensuke asked.

"Nope," he answered him. "Asuka, take a break! Switch out!"

Asuka obeyed and returned to her ball.

"Your turn, Rei!" He threw out new ball and unleashed his Gyarados onto the field. "Oh!"

He didn't take into account the size of the gym or its potential incompatibility with whatever Pokemon that were chosen, and so far, Rei didn't seem to fit due to her size.

"Rrrraurgh!" Rei roared, coiling up to make herself smaller.

"I'm sorry, Rei," Shinji apologized to her.

"Never expected to see a trainer with a Gyarados before," Blaine expressed. "I was expecting smaller Water Pokemon, like Tentacruel or Slowbro, even a Golduck. You're full of surprises."

Rei looked down at the Rhydon and growled at it.

"Grr!" Rhydon growled back.

"Horn Drill, Rhydon!" Blaine ordered.

 _Horn Drill is a move that causes enough harm to you that you don't get back up after it hits you,_ Shinji realized the severity of what could happen to Rei if she took a direct hit from Rhydon. "Rei, use Hydro Pump on Rhydon!"

Because she had recently evolved and gained strength to achieve greater feats, this included new attacks that made her powerful.

Rei opened her mouth and unleashed a large stream of water that shot out of her like a jet!

"Whoa!" Kensuke gasped, getting this on film.

The Hydro Pump made contact with Rhydon and forced the Drill Pokemon backwards.

"Grrraurgh!" Rhydon roared, unable to regain its footing on the field, and losing strength in its endurance from the extreme water pressure in the attack. "Grrraurgh!"

It was sent flying backwards and into the volcano wall, smashing into it and left dazed.

"Rrraurgh!" Rei roared in triumph.

Blaine recalled Rhydon and expressed, "Excellent way to win the second round. One attack to counter a TKO. You must have some luck on your side today."

"It's not always luck, sir," Shinji responded. "I put my faith in what my Pokemon can do. They're skillful and tougher than anything I've seen."

"But we'll see how well you can stand up to my last Pokemon, since it has the very power of a volcano," Blaine told them.

Shinji was puzzled by this. He knew Electric Pokemon could produce over several thousand volts that were enough to paralyze a person, how Poison Pokemon could cause rashes and spread common illnesses, even how Rock and Ground Pokemon could trigger earthquakes by stomping on the ground. But he didn't believe in there being Pokemon that could harness the power of a volcano.

"I've only been a trainer for almost nine months, and I've never heard of any Pokemon with the power of a volcano," he explained to Blaine.

"Well, then, you're in for a surprise," Blaine told him. "Come out now, Magmar!"

The lava in front of the Gym Leader exploded into the air as something started appearing from deep within it. Whatever it was, it didn't seem that big, probably only as big as a person.

Kensuke recorded the lava as it stopped flowing up and he saw some sort of Pokemon that looked like it was made of fire.

"Oh, man!" He gasped.

"Eee!" Misato gasped, hiding behind Shinji's legs.

The creature was unlike anything Shinji had seen in the past. It was camouflaged perfectly to blend in with fire, with a flame on its tail like Asuka did before she lost it from an Ice Beam attack, with what appeared to black bands on its neck and legs, spikes on its back and a strange snout that made Shinji think of a picture of a duck he had seen a few weeks ago.

"Magmar?" Shinji questioned, using his Pokedex to identify it.

"Magmar, the Spitfire Pokemon," Dexter addressed. "With a body similar to that of a furnace, Magmar is a living inferno. They have only been found near active volcanoes."

 _Probably living in molten lava for years,_ Shinji thought, suspecting that this was what Blaine meant by having the power of a volcano. _Judging from how Blaine saved it for last, it must be his strongest. Asuka's got pride for facing strong opponents._

He recalled Rei and had Asuka go back out.

"Charmeleon," she growled at Magmar.

"Magmar," it responded, raising its claws up defensively. "Mag."

-x-

"…The Fourth Child won't be able to return to active duty until he's recovered from the barbiturates he's under by the Giovanni Corporation," Ritsuko informed Gendo in his office.

"And how long will that be?" He asked her, not really caring so long as the pilot was back in the Eva by the time of the next attack.

"He was recently put under for their project again, so he'll be like this for at least three days."

"Is there any way to bring him out of it any faster?"

"Not without risking any harm to the pilot."

"Very well."

-x-

As Misato and Antonio continued to watch the match between Shinji and Blaine on the monitors, Shinji's Charmeleon was showing herself to be quite a persistent combatant, almost like her redhead namesake was in her Eva. She had been pummeled, burned, scratched and slammed around the field, but she kept getting back up and coming back for more.

"Your Charmeleon has a lotta pride, young man," said Blaine to Shinji, "but I get the feeling that you two haven't been together for a long time."

"Only two-and-a-half months," Shinji explained; Misato was beginning to wonder if he kept track of how long he had each Pokemon he caught to pass the time. "It's a sensitive subject."

"Coming from you, my best guess is that you found it during a difficult time. I did read an article once about an abandoned Charmeleon causing trouble for a few trainers traveling between Saffron and Celadon City a while back. Could this be the one that was attacking others?"

They could all see Asuka snarling, and Shinji just responded, "Her previous trainer didn't see her for what she could be, how strong she could become."

"I guess this saying's true, then. One trainer's discarded Pokemon is another trainer's grand achievement. It's such a cruel fate with only the promise of a different future."

"It's cruel if anyone casts you aside for unjust reasons. Asuka, try Fire Blast!"

Asuka spat out a large fireball, but then needed to catch her breath as she fell to her left knee.

Magmar took her Fire Blast head-on and was only mildly scorched.

"Magmar!" It went.

Shinji could see that Asuka was exhausted, almost at her limit, and needed to rest more.

"Asuka, tag out! Tag out!" He ordered her, holding out Toji's Poke Ball.

Asuka looked at him and sighed in acceptance; as much as she would have preferred to go out fighting this enemy, her new trainer seemed to know when she needed to stop for now. She vacated the field and fell onto her back.

"Char."

"Eevo," went Misato to her, congratulating her for her intense fighting against Magmar.

"Charmeleon."

"Okay, Toji, you're up next!" Shinji threw the new ball and released Toji, who was only intimidated by the sight of Magmar for a few seconds before putting on a tough exterior.

"Larvitar!" He growled.

"Now, that's a strange Pokemon there," went Blaine. "That's from the Johto Region, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I caught him here in the Kanto Region," Shinji explained. "You ready, Toji?"

"Tar!" Toji responded.

"Okay, use Stone Edge!"

Toji raised his arms up and the ground around him shot up two rings of stone shards that floated around his body before being sent flying at Magmar like bullets.

"Magmar!" Magmar grunted, using the superheated air around its body to reduce most of the stone shards to pieces of dirt before they could harm it, but some of them were able to slip past its defenses and harm it considerably.

"Magmar, use your Fire Blast!" Blaine commanded.

Blast! Magmar spat out a large fireball at Toji.

"Evade it with Dig, Toji!" Shinji told him, and the Larvitar dug quickly into the ground, avoiding the Fire Blast.

"Dig?" Kensuke asked Shinji.

"Before I went to Fuchsia City, I taught Toji how to use Dig during training," he explained.

Magmar looked around the field, unsure of where the Larvitar would pop up and attack.

CRACK! The ground under it buckled and it was head-butted by the Larvitar, sending it falling backwards onto the ground.

"Tar!" Toji cheered for himself with pride.

"Mag!" Magmar sneered, and tail-whipped Toji away, surprising him.

"Tar…" He groaned, unable to get up. "Tar."

Shinji could see that he was unable to continue, and recalled him back into his ball. He had considered sending out Rei to finish Magmar, but then looked at Asuka, who was facing him, looking a little rested from her earlier fight.

"Asuka…are you ready found for round three?" He asked her.

The Charmeleon looked down at Misato, who nodded in the positive and encouraged her to get out there and win it all.

"Meleon!" She turned back to Shinji and nodded that she was ready to fight against Magmar.

Suddenly, the screens started to get static.

"What the…" Antonio went, turning a knob and hitting a switch.

"Something's affecting the power!" One of the male technicians shouted.

"Where are we with the emergency generators?" Antonio asked.

"Coming online right now," a female technician answered.

The main lights then shorted out and the cameras that were being used on Palkia shut down, leaving the monitoring connection between this dimension and the other dimension cut off.

"We've lost the connection," the male technician revealed.

"What about Mr. Aida?" Antonio asked.

"Vitals are stable," a male nurse revealed, even though the medical equipment used to monitor him weren't working.

"Looks like the entire building took a hit," Misato suggested, and Antonio answered his cell phone.

"Yes?" He spoke, and sighed. "Understood."

"It is just the building, right?"

"Wrong. It looks like the entire city's experiencing a blackout. This is bad."

"How bad?"

"Without power for the majority of our needs, we won't be able to monitor either the other dimension or keep track of Mr. Aida's condition while he's under. We still have enough on the backup generators to keep the lights and Palkia's containment cell intact, but beyond these, we're dead in the water."

Misato got worried. If they couldn't keep an eye on Shinji, they wouldn't be able to know what he was doing or know from Kensuke until he woke up from the barbiturates in his system…and that was if he could still be in the other dimension while the conditions were off.

-x-

"Huh?" Kensuke went, getting a strange feeling for a moment before it ended.

Shinji's Charmeleon had managed to score several hits at Magmar, but she was still in need of rest.

"Char…char…char…" She panted; her ragged breathing and drool escaping her mouth.

"Your Charmeleon is tough, but there's no way it can keep going," Blaine told Shinji. "Sadly, it looks like Magmar can barely go on, either."

"Mag…mar…" Magmar panted.

Asuka then looked back at Shinji, and he looked concern for her.

"Asuka," he uttered, "it's alright to stop now. You've done enough."

"Eevo," Misato agreed with him.

Asuka gave in and collapsed on the field.

Shinji held out her ball and recalled her back into it.

"We're both tied," he told Blaine, "but I intend to win this."

"I know you do."

Shinji then threw out Rei's ball and she returned to the field.

"Rrraaurgh!" She hissed as she coiled up.

Magmar looked up at her and smirked; there was no way it could lose to a Water-Type.

"Rei, Hydro Pump," Shinji commanded.

"Magmar, use Fire Blast! Turn that Gyarados into sushi!" Blaine ordered.

Rei inhaled deeply as Magmar spat out a large ball of fire that was the biggest Shinji had seen so far. Then she spat out a huge stream of water that made contact with the fire attack, creating steam from the friction caused by the evaporation. But the strength of the Hydro Pump had to have been stronger, as the remaining water struck Magmar and it steamed up, possibly from the fact that it possessed a high body temperature.

"Magmar!" It growled, shaking its body to straighten out. "Mag!"

Rei was starting to look like the heat was getting to her, as she started to pant.

"Rei!" Shinji gasped. "Are you okay?"

Even if she had scales as hard as steel, Shinji felt that even Rei, regardless of her being a giant sea serpent, was not invulnerable to intense heat. Fighting inside a volcano had to be a calculated affair with any other Pokemon besides Fire, Rock and Ground-Types.

"Magmar…mag…mar…" Magmar sighed…and then fell backwards. "Mag…"

It was down, unable to get back up.

"Magmar!" Blaine gasped. "You beat my Magmar. You're the second person to beat my Magmar!"

"We did it?" Shinji questioned; he couldn't believe that it was that sudden, as he was sure Magmar had plenty of strength left to continue after taking a direct Hydro Pump like Rei's.

"Eevo!" Misato cheered, jumping around and doing a few flips.

"You won, Shinji!" Kensuke congratulated him.

Blaine recalled Magmar back into its Poke Ball and walked over to Shinji, who recalled his Gyarados.

"I never thought anyone other than the previous trainer with a Charizard that wouldn't listen to him could beat me in years, but you did. Congratulations, Shinji Ikari. Now, I have a final riddle for you. What is always red, but has no words?"

"The Volcano Badge?" Shinji suggested, and Blaine placed a small, red object in his left hand.

"That's right," he answered.

-x-

Even though the lights were still running due to the generators, Misato was uneasy because they couldn't monitor Shinji or Kensuke, anymore. And she just learned from Ritsuko that the city's power station shut down due to a fuse, and it would be at least a few hours before auxiliary power could be transmitted to the city.

"I don't believe this," she sighed, sitting on the console where the monitors were disabled.

"Man has always feared the darkness of the unknown," she looked at Palkia, which was speaking. "To dispel the fear, they use the gift of fire to ignite the darkness, setting it ablaze."

Misato, out of curiosity, questioned, "Can you see them? Shinji and Kensuke, I mean. Can you see them in the other dimension?"

"I cannot," the Spatial Pokemon answered her. "I may be the guardian of space, but neither omnipresence and omniscience are not among my powers."

Misato sighed and worried about the two in the other world.

"Surely, they are doing well," Palkia suggested; it didn't express any ill will towards the displaced boy that was from this world or the boy that was somehow able to travel subconsciously to the world it was from in order to find his friend. "The only dangers in my world…are the ones made by those that seek something beyond themselves."

"Like Commander Ikari?"

"The fool that thinks himself destined to decide everyone's fate? Those that seek a power beyond themselves will often invite danger and desire from others that will be drawn to them."

-x-

"All your Pokemon are in good shape, sir," said Nurse Joy to Shinji, handing him the tray with his Poke Balls and Misato.

"Thank you, ma'am," he expressed, taking the ball with Asuka's name and letting her out.

"Char," the female Charmeleon sighed.

"Asuka, we won the match with Blaine," Shinji told her.

"Char!" She uttered.

"Your Charmeleon has much pride in her abilities and feels down," Nurse Joy explained to him. "Even though she fought hard, she feels that she's not good enough."

"That's not what I believe, though. I saw her strength…and there was no further need or effort to convince me that Asuka's strong…and she will get stronger in due time. Even though our initial encounter was one of rage and bitterness because the previous trainer hurt her… I wouldn't change anything about any of it."

Asuka still didn't feel any better about being unable to defeat Magmar, though.

"There's always a thing as shared success. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. When one of us fails, the rest of us do our best to make up for the defeat."

"Eevo," Misato agreed with Shinji; even though he now rarely sent her out against other Pokemon, she still felt she helped a little…and got stronger in the process.

"Char…" Asuka sighed again…and nodded in acceptance. "Char."

"Next stop is wherever we can obtain our eighth and final badge through teamwork." Shinji expressed.

"Oh, you have seven badges already?" Nurse Joy asked. "You may want to try the Pokemon Gym in Viridian City. Many trainers go there to obtain Earth Badges."

"I did make an attempt to go to the gym there, but there was a sign that said it was closed."

"Well, the gym has recently reopened after a short period of renovation. The Gym Leader isn't there, but there's a Badge Guardian residing there that specializes in Ground Pokemon just like them."

"Really? That's great. Thank you."

-x-

Going over the footage and seeing the incredible power exhibited by the Pokemon, Kensuke was on a computer in the in the Pokemon Center after creating a video account to hold the recorded footage for Shinji in case something happened to the memory cards.

"Eevo!" He turned away from the screen and looked down at Misato. "Eee."

He looked up and saw Shinji walking over.

"What's next?" Kensuke asked him.

"Viridian City," he answered. "The very first city I traveled to when I became a trainer."

"How do we get there?"

"Back to the mainland? We could go by boat, but there's a faster way. The Gyarados Express."

"Can Rei travel that fast?"

"She got me and the others here without any worries. I have faith in her abilities to get us to the mainland at a good pace."

"Then let's do this! We're on the road to Viridian City!"

Shinji chuckled. He hoped that Kensuke would be with him and his Pokemon for a while longer, however long that would be. It was just great to have someone from the other world to converse with and talk about this new world he was being nomadic in.

"Yeah, let's go," he agreed with Kensuke.

-x-

A few hours turned into two days for the whole of Tokyo-3 to regain power. Fortunately, there were no cases of any riots on the streets or looting from any stores. But with the lack of power to support the city, there wasn't much activity.

NERV didn't have much of these problems. While the majority of the power NERV had during the blackout went to supporting the MAGI, a lot of doors were left open, allowing for a draft to be constant, reducing the reduction in life support systems.

"What did you hear from the Giovanni Corporation?" Ritsuko asked Misato as they worked on keeping the MAGI in proper order.

"They're going to wake up Kensuke later today," she explained. "After they got the power back on, they were unable to resume the monitoring or recording of the other dimension until they fine-tuned their equipment."

"Maybe he'll be able to tell you what happened with Shinji when he wakes up."

"That's what I'm hoping for."

As they continued on the MAGI, Asuka and Rei walked down the hall towards the testing rooms for another synchronization test.

"Say, Wonder Girl," Asuka uttered, "You hear anything about Shinji or the Fourth Child?"

"I have heard nothing about either boy," she answered; in truth, she knew nothing about anything that was currently happening.

Commander Ikari hadn't been speaking with her about anything that had been going on ever since it was discovered that Shinji was still alive but in another world.

"The last I ever heard from Misato was that Fourth was with him on some island, facing a guy inside a volcano for some badge to participate in some league with these Pokemon," Asuka told her.

That's when Rei asked, "Didn't Ikari-Kun once save you from a volcano?"

Asuka turned to face her and responded, "Yes, he did. Why would anyone fight inside of a volcano is reckless thing. Volcanoes are unsafe and the lava is able to destroy everything it touches."

Rei didn't answer her on the possible reasons, but suspected that whatever the reason for Ikari-Kun doing such, it was for a reason that related to passing the time while in the other world.

-x-

"Are we ready?" Antonio asked the nurse, standing over the unconscious Kensuke Aida.

"Yes, sir," he answered, administering the stabilizing agent into Kensuke's IV drip.

"Hmm…mmm…" Kensuke groaned as the stabilizer took effect on him, waking him up. "What…where… Kanto…Johto… Aah!"

He jumped up and looked around the room at everyone present.

"It's okay, Kensuke," went Misato to him. "You're alright."

"I…I… How long was I asleep?" He asked, trying to process his current predicament.

"Just two days instead of three," she told him. "We had a power outage caused by a city-wide blackout shortly after you went under."

"Two days? I… No, no, that's impossible. I couldn't have been asleep for just two days."

"What do you mean? How is it impossible?"

"Because…I was traveling with Shinji for nearly four years. After we left Cinnabar Island for Viridian City, in fact. We…we were on our way to the Pokemon Center in Hearthome City when I dropped to my knees and found myself in darkness."

"F…four years?" Misato questioned him, puzzled by this would-be revelation. "Are you sure?"

"Give or take three months," he uttered. "Shinji's been the one to keep track of every day and the timeline of every Pokemon he's either caught or obtained through contests or found someplace."

"How is he doing?" Antonio asked him.

"I gotta hand it to him. Training Pokemon may be his calling. He's been doing so well with everything. He does it better than piloting the Eva, in fact."

"Really? He, um… What about the Pokemon League? You said he was aiming towards that. Did he ever…enter it?"

"He entered three different Pokemon Leagues from three different regions. We're in… I was with him on his fourth region to journey in when I was brought back here."

"How did he do?"

"Third place in the Kanto League. Second place in the Johto League. Second place in the Hoenn League. He's caught almost a thousand Pokemon in that length of time."

-x-

"…Is he sure about this?" Ritsuko spoke on her cell phone in front of Gendo in his office. "How did this happen? This could go either way, you know."

When she hung up and turned to face Gendo, who looked the same as he often always did.

"It would seem that while the blackout had the intended effect of forcing the Giovanni Corporation to awaken the Fourth Child from their experiment, but it may have had an unintended consequence in the process," she explained to him. "He claims that in this other dimension the Third Child is in, nearly four years have passed. That would make him eighteen instead of fourteen or fifteen."

Gendo should've known that causing a blackout would cause unintended repercussions. He just couldn't forget or forgive what that creature said about him.

"Your orders, sir?" Ritsuko asked him.

"Resume synchronization testing of the Fourth Child," he ordered.

-x-

"…So, Shinji's traveling in another region in this Pokemon world?" Asuka asked Misato, who relayed the information that Kensuke divulged to her, later in the apartment.

"Yeah," she answered her. "It turns out there are several regions in that world that are full of Pokemon often unique to those select regions. He's caught close to a thousand of them."

"But he still hasn't found a way back here?"

"That's…something else that Kensuke recently discovered while with Shinji. Shinji needs to find select Pokemon if he's to get his ticket back here."

"What kind of Pokemon does he need to find, anyway?"

"Rare Pokemon of the legendary and mythical variety. So rare that there's usually very few of them to find in all the world. And so far, according to Kensuke, he's only caught five of them."

"Five of these things? He caught five of them within that length of time?"

"Sometimes, it's quantity over quality. Other times, it's the reverse."

"I'd be surprised if Shinji had gotten any taller in that length of time like he was shown in the earlier footage obtained."

"That's something Kensuke says has also been affected by what has happened in the three-and-a-half years he's been with Shinji. Something about how fate has been altered by external forces."

"Fate? External forces? What did he mean by that?"

"He suspects it has something to do with his presence in the Pokemon world."

-x-

 _Nearly four years together…and he disappears, just like that,_ thought Shinji, not as changed from his time in the Kanto Region, but sporting a different attire for his time in the Sinnoh Region.

He was wearing black, baggy pants, a yellow sash around the waist and a blue shawl over a white shirt. Beside him as he sat against a large tree was his Eevee, Misato, only a little larger since their time traveling around the Johto Region, still wearing the same scarf from their time in Kanto, but now sporting a small, circular stone and chain around her neck.

Somehow, during their most recent encounter with a Pokemon Shinji tried to catch because it would help him get closer to a way back home to his world, he and Kensuke found out that, because of the latter's periodical presence in the world, whatever original path of fate that had been laid out for the former when he arrived had been drastically altered. And by drastically altered, neither boy was for certain if the trainer's life here was bound to get better or worse than ever. All Shinji could believe in for certain was that he couldn't stop just because of a change occurring on the path he had started on way back when he left Pallet Town. If he was ever to get back, he had to continue going forward.

"Misato?" He asked his Eevee, who sat beside him.

"Eevo?" She responded, looking up at him.

"No matter what happens in the future… I mean…if the day ever comes and I get to go back to my world…will you and the others come with me?"

"Eee?"

"Heh. We've been together the longest out of everyone, so I value your responses in questions like this. Almost four years, you know."

Of course, the human concept of time didn't fully apply to her or most other Pokemon, since their concept of time was different from humans. In her trainer's mind, they've been together for the length of time he stated, but in her mind, they could've been together far longer than that. Still, she had her answer for him.

"Eee!" She answered him, nodding her head positively.

"Thanks, Misato," he praised her, and then got up onto his feet. "Come on, let's get to Hearthome City and see where fate takes us all until we see Kensuke Aida again."

"Eee!" She agreed with him, getting up.

They ran down the path leading towards the city on the map feature on his green Poketch.

To be continued…

A/N: Aw, man a time lapse! Most unexpected.


	14. To come so far

Creation began on 10-21-16

Creation ended on 12-05-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

To come so far

Kensuke didn't feel comfortable to be back inside Unit-04. It just didn't feel right, anymore. Maybe it had something to do with the subconscious fact that his mind had felt elsewhere for nearly four years in another world with a missing friend while only two days went by while he was sleeping, but that didn't change the fact that more time went by there than here. And now, here he was again, two more days after recovering from barbiturates being informed that the project to send his consciousness back and forth between the two worlds was on hold until the Giovanni Corporation fine-tuned their equipment and NERV needed him back inside the Eva.

"His synchronization is at fifty-one percent, Ma'am," went Maya to Ritsuko, evaluating Kensuke's synchronization ratio.

"So, is it true about what he said about Shinji?" Hyuga asked Maya.

"Well, he clearly believes it."

"But how can something like that be possible?" Shigeru questioned. "What, because of the blackout, the lack of power caused the Giovanni Corporation to be unable to monitor Shinji and him, and, as a consequence, nearly four years went by in that other world?"

"Four years in another world, living a life far different from what consists as normal," Maya expressed, wondering how Shinji could actually endure living just a year in that Pokemon world.

"Right, like here is normal," Hyuga retorted kindly. "They must've had good times traveling."

"They were in four regions, filled with towns, cities, forests, mountains, rivers and oceans," Shigeru sighed. "It's wanderlust, being able to visit so many places in search of creatures that you can't find anywhere else."

-x-

"…So, what was it like to spend nearly four years traveling with him, Fourth?" Asuka asked Kensuke as they walked down the hall to the showers after finishing up the synchronization testing.

"What do you mean?" He asked her.

"I mean, what kind of places did you visit? What kind of people did you meet? What trouble did you get into?"

"Most of the trouble was people that treated Pokemon like they were tools instead of friends. It's mostly up and down mountains, getting in and out of forests, traveling by boat…or the Rei Express as Shinji put it whenever we traveled by riding on his Gyarados' head and back."

"That red sea serpent that you say saved his life when he was drowning in the ocean water?"

"He keeps Rei as part of the six Pokemon he can have at any given time on his journey through any region. She's an often-kept member of his on-hand roster. The Pokemon he nicknamed after you is another of the often-kept Pokemon on his roster, and she got better in the last three years since he caught her after finding out she was abandoned."

This surprised Asuka.

"Really?" She asked him.

"Yeah. She even evolved during his participation in the Kanto League where he got third place. Not as proud as she once was, though, but is still one of Shinji's power houses."

"What about you? He has a Pokemon he nicknamed after you, right? He keep that one, too?"

"No, not as much as he used to. He evolved, too. I didn't expect it to grow up into a large bird that Shinji appointed as the leader of his menagerie of Flying Pokemon. Shinji had to get goggles to protect his eyes whenever he flew on his back because the Bird Pokemon was undeniably fast. He had achieved his true potential and knew that he had to allow others to do the same, so he stepped aside to let Shinji train other Pokemon of that time."

They then parted ways into their gender-restricted locker rooms.

 _I hope Shinji's doing alright until I can find a way back to him,_ Kensuke thought, stepping into a stall and turning the hot water on. _I hope my unexpected departure hasn't kept him from facing the Gym Leaders he still needs to face in order to enter the Sinnoh League._

-x-

Thud! The Gengar fell after being incinerated by Asuka's enhanced Flamethrower, earning Shinji his second win in the gym match.

"Gen…gar…" Gengar groaned.

"Gengar is unable to continue," went the male referee, raising his left arm's flag to Shinji. "Shinji wins the second round!"

With the battle between them over, Asuka just returned to looking like a regular Charizard with the arm braces she had on when she was a Charmeleon.

"Graurgh!" She roared.

"Well done, Asuka!" Shinji praised her.

"I may not understand how you're able to make your Pokemon do the things they do," said Fantina to him, curious at how he was able to make make his Charizard and Gyarados turn into enhanced and different-looking Pokemon, "but I doubt you can make them do so more than once every now and then!"

"That's a wager you'd win," Shinji assured her; ever since his time in the Johto Region, Rei, Asuka, Kensuke and even Toji among some of his Pokemon that he ended up rotating were somehow able to do something that, while temporary and only during certain battles, changed their appearances and made them appear much stronger than other Pokemon of the same species. "I don't know what it is or how they're able to do what they're able to do, but it doesn't violate any of the rules of any matches, just as evolving doesn't violate any of the rules. I do hope to understand it one day. If it is something new or something that has been around, but only seen very rarely, then it's gotta be a phenomenon that has been around for years."

"Let's see how well you fare against my Mismagius!"

Shinji saw her throw her third Poke Ball onto the field and unleashed her third Pokemon, Mismagius. Fortunately, his fear of Ghost Pokemon was conquered during his time in the Johto Region when he caught a dozen Pokemon there, including some of the Legendary Pokemon associated with that region.

"Come out, Rei!" Shinji said as he threw out Rei's Poke Ball, unleashing his Shiny Gyarados.

-x-

"…Anyway, these are just some of the Pokemon he caught over the past three years in the Johto and Hoenn Regions before we ended up in the Sinnoh Region," Kensuke explained to Misato, Asuka and Rei when all three just came to him and asked him what occurred when he was with Shinji before he was brought back to this world.

"What kind of Pokemon…is this…Ghastly?" Rei asked him, pointing to the name in the list.

"Ghastly are Ghost Pokemon," he explained. "Basically, Pokemon that have ties to the afterlife."

"And what are…Skarmory?" Asuka questioned, pointing to the other name he wrote down.

"Skarmory are a type of Flying Pokemon that we saw while in the Johto Region. They were unique amongst the other Flying Pokemon because no other had the Steel-Type."

"Steel/Flying-Type?" Rei spoke.

"Yeah. He caught about ten of them."

"And how many of these…Tropius did he ever catch?" Misato asked him, pointing to the name of the Pokemon he wrote down.

"The Grass/Flying-Type Fruit Pokemon?" He responded. "He caught eight of them in the Hoenn Region. But for a while, he kept one with him so that we'd have an available source of edible fruit when we were in inhospitable places."

"Tropius…have edible fruit?"

"Yeah."

"Squawk?" They all looked at Pen-Pen, and Kensuke was immediately reminded that he was at Misato's place.

The warm-water penguin had pointed to a Pokemon name that caught his attention.

"Piplup?" Kensuke asked him, and the penguin nodded. "Penguin Pokemon native to the Sinnoh Region. They're one of the region's Starter Pokemon for trainers to begin with. When he saw some Piplup, he actually thought about you, and caught about twenty of them in the wild."

"Squawk?"

"I try to imagine what would happen if all the Pokemon Shinji caught were to end up here?"

"Probably end up changing up what's left of the animal kingdom here," suggested Asuka.

"Say, what type of Pokemon is this…Lugia?" Misato asked Kensuke, pointing to the name of said creature.

"Oh… Lugia is…was…one of the Legendary Pokemon that Shinji was able to catch," he answered her. "That was a great challenge for him. A Psychic/Flying-Type."

-x-

Thud! Fantina's Mismagius fell to the ground, incapacitated from Rei's enhanced Hydro Pump and Dragon Rage attacks.

With its defeat, Shinji had won the gym match.

"Impressive," Fantina expressed. "And with only a Charizard and Gyarados, no less. How did you get so strong?"

"I trained them over the last three years," he answered her, stroking Rei's head. "Other than my bond with them, that's all I can really say."

"Quite the dedication you have."

She then presented him with the Relic Badge as proof of his victory over the Hearthome Gym.

"Thank you," Shinji bowed his head to her.

"So, where will you be going for your next badge?" She asked him.

"The Pokemon Gym in Canalave City," he explained.

"Careful over there. They use Steel Pokemon. The Gym Leader's the father of the Gym Leader in Oreburgh City."

"So I've been told."

-x-

"…So, Lugia, Entei, Moltres, Zapdos and…Mewtwo?" Asuka asked Kensuke, trying to make sure these names he wrote down were of the so-called Legendary Pokemon that Shinji had managed to capture.

"That's right," he answered.

"They each sound powerful," said Misato to him.

"They were all powerful in their own way," he told them. "Going after any one of them was like trying to enter Hell and escape it with something of value you couldn't find on Earth. I once told Shinji that he shouldn't try to catch Pokemon of this sort. It was when we were looking for a Zapdos that was in a cave system in Hoenn, I told him that he was going to get killed if he tried to catch one, even if he was used to getting electrocuted by Electric Pokemon. All he said was that even if that was a risk, it was his risk to make if it meant getting closer to home. Heh, even after three-and-a-half-years, he still didn't have an answer to a question a Gym Leader from the Kanto Region had asked him."

"What was the question?" Rei had asked him.

"Even if he caught enough Pokemon to find his way back here, would it all be worth it in the end? Even after all this time traveling, he didn't have an answer. Who knows if he'll ever."

"What a question," said Asuka. "Wait, he's been electrocuted before?"

"Many, many times. I don't know how he was able to endure shocks, burns and physical blows from every Pokemon he's either faced or trained, but he has some will of steel…or diamond."

"He nearly gets killed every time in the Eva, but he's able to survive things that would normally harm a person enough to kill them?" Misato questions.

"Pilot Aida?" Rei spoke, looking at the list of Pokemon names he wrote down. "This Legendary Pokemon here. Mewtwo. Is that…really how its name is spelled?"

Kensuke looked the name and nodded that it was spelled right.

"What kind of Pokemon is this…Mewtwo?" Asuka asked.

He recalled the time Shinji spent talking to who he considered one of the most unique Pokemon because its very existence was not all that different from any other creature made by people trying to play God.

"Mewtwo is…was a unique Psychic Pokemon…that was made by some people that were playing God with nature."

"Playing God with nature?" Misato asked.

"I mean, it was a clone of another Pokemon that most believe to be extinct now."

"So…he caught a Pokemon…that was…copied from another Pokemon?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly, Rei couldn't help but think back to some words that echoed in her mind a while back from before she met Shinji: Even if she died, she could be replaced. But Shinji caught a Pokemon that, apparently, couldn't be replaced, no matter what.

"Any idea how many Legendary Pokemon there are out there?" Asuka asked.

"Last time Shinji and I ever checked," Kensuke responded, "there are more than twenty of them out there. Extremely rare, extremely powerful…and extremely hard to find."

-x-

"…Hmm?" Shinji went, traveling through the air on Asuka, noticing a Pokemon belonging to the Kanto Region flying farther away from where they were. _An Articuno at this time of the evening?_

It was an Articuno, and the fact that it was flying in the air of the Sinnoh Region meant it was another opportunity for Shinji to capture another Legendary Pokemon and take another step closer to home.

"Asuka, follow that Articuno," he told his Charizard.

"Grr," she growled in compliance, turning in the air and following the large, blue bird.

"Eevo!" Misato perked up on Shinji's left shoulder.

"We might get lucky this time, Misato," he told her. "If we capture this one, we'll have the whole trio of Legendary Birds."

"Eevo!"

"Grr!"

They followed the wild Articuno towards a mountain range, where it entered a cave.

Asuka landed on the ground within the cave and let Shinji and Misato off.

"Thanks, Asuka," he praised his Charizard. "Let's go add an Articuno to our bunch."

-x-

"Legendary Pokemon?" Ritsuko questioned after Misato explained to her that she was going to see Antonio Giovanni to see if they had acquired any new footage of Shinji through their video experiments with Palkia.

"Yeah. It turns out Shinji needs to catch those, as well if he wants to get back here." Misato told her as she grabbed the tablet.

"So, he has to travel through time to find those?"

"No, they exist in the present. They're just hard to find."

"If they're hard to find, then how can he be sure that they exist?"

"Because he's not the only person that looks for them. There have been others, over the various years, in other regions, that have spent their lives looking for these rare and invaluable creatures. He's even caught five of them."

"Five, really?"

"I believe he was lucky and fortunate enough to catch that many out of the many that he has caught since he ended up there. He's been electrocuted countless times trying to catch a Zapdos…and in the air, no less."

When Misato left right out, Ritsuko was left pondering what to inform Commander Ikari about the Third Child's transcendental achievements.

-x-

He stood in front of the Articuno, entranced by its beauty and eerie glow. Any thoughts of catching it faded away from his mind at that moment. It was completely different from when he caught Zapdos and Moltres when he encountered them.

"Eevo," went Misato, getting Shinji's attention.

"After I saw you flying here, I wanted only to catch you and get another step closer to home," Shinji said to the Articuno, taking out the Ultra Ball he had with him, "except now, I can't find it in me to carry out that desire."

"Grr?" Asuka went, confused at how Shinji could suddenly not want to catch this rare and mighty Pokemon that would help him achieve his goal.

"I am sorry," Shinji apologized.

Articuno's red eyes stared deeply into the boy's dark eyes, seeing no measure of cruelty, no desires for control over the world or to even destroy, but a lingering desire to return to this world that seemed on the brink of something awful. But there was a deep-seated affection for his Pokemon that spanned almost four years into the past and was going forward into the unwritten future of this person.

"Another day, perhaps," he told the Ice/Flying-Type Pokemon. "Until we meet again, Articuno."

Turning to leave, Shinji felt a sudden chill in the air and dropped his empty Ultra Ball.

 _A Blizzard attack?_ He thought, turning back to the Articuno, seeing it taking flight in front of him. "Whoa."

-x-

"…Mister Aida?" Misato questioned, seeing Kensuke in the chamber with Antonio and Palkia. "What are you doing here?"

"You're not the only one with concerns about Shinji, Ms. Katsuragi," Antonio told her, sitting at the primary control console while the rest of the work crew were re-positioning cameras around Palkia's cage. "Mister Aida contacted us earlier this evening and asked if he could come down."

"Just to confirm how Shinji was doing," Kensuke explained his reason.

Antonio flipped a switch on the console and the monitors went static as they tried to perfect their broadcast signal into the Pokemon world. It went on for a few more seconds until the static ceased, showing Shinji, barely changed and within a cave with two creatures beside him.

"Just look at him," Misato sighed, relieved that he was still alive.

"He's facing something," Kensuke expressed, and the image rotated to show Shinji's back…and a large, blue bird with a long, glittering tail and large wings. "Oh, my… That's an Articuno."

"Is that a Legendary Pokemon?" Antonio asked him.

"Yeah, and if he catches this one, he'll have the whole set of Legendary Bird Pokemon of the Kanto Region."

A ball floated in between Shinji and the Articuno…and the blue bird turned to red light, transported into the ball, which then fell in front of Shinji.

PING! The ball beeped, and Shinji picked it up.

"This was…not what I had expected from a Legendary Pokemon at all," Shinji said, and the ball disappeared from his hand.

"Why'd the ball disappear from his hand?" Misato asked Kensuke.

"Likely because he has six Pokemon with him right now," he explained. "As a Pokemon Trainer, he can only have six Pokemon at any given time."

"Then, where do the rest go?" Antonio asked.

"Back to Pallet Town, where he started as a Pokemon Trainer and where all his other Pokemon are kept until he requires them for different battles or contests."

"We should probably find a clearing and set up camp for the night," Shinji told the other two Pokemon with him.

"Grr," went the winged dragon that Kensuke identified as a Charizard that was the final stage of the species the Charmeleon Asuka was from.

"Eevo," responded the Eevee Misato.

Suddenly, the screens all went static.

"Dammit, the signal's getting interference," Antonio muttered.

-x-

Now that he had the complete Legendary Bird Trio, Shinji was another step closer to his goal of getting home to his world, but he found himself thinking of the question Sabrina had asked him when she told him one of the ways he was to get home, whether or not what he did was worth the effort in the end.

 _I wish I could answer that question,_ he thought, looking up at the night sky through the opening in his tent, _but even after all these years, I'm not sure I can answer it until after I manage to get back to my world. I hope that by then, I'll have the answer that I seek._

A Pokemon Trainer for nearly four years, approximately one-thousand Pokemon to his name, three Pokemon League experiences that helped him unlock more of his potential as a trainer and gain a greater understanding to his Pokemon…and still, despite having come so far, he had yet to get any closer to the answer he seemed to avoid.

-x-

"…That's odd," Antonio went.

"What is it?" Misato asked him.

"We're picking up a different signal," he explained.

Then Palkia, as if affected by whatever was affecting the experiment's transmission, raised its head up and unleashed a blast of energy that surprised everyone.

"Whoa!" Kensuke gasped.

The blast of energy penetrated the cell Palkia was inside, but it didn't damage it. It reached a section of wall away from it, and bounced off, like something was wrong with the very beam itself, taking shape into a misshapen sphere that shrunk and rolled towards the control console. When it reached it, it stopped beside Kensuke, where it turned into a military-themed backpack with a name tag on the left strap.

"What the…" Misato said, confused.

"My backpack!" Kensuke gasped, picking it up.

"Your backpack?" Antonio asked him.

"When I didn't disappear after we left Cinnabar Island and showed up at Viridian City, he got me this in case I would be around for while. The fact that he fought in many battles and doesn't buy junk, he's pretty much a millionaire in a way and (he opened his pack and slowly checked its contents)… Oh, my God."

"What?" Misato asked.

Kensuke pulled out a small ball from inside the pack and showed it to them.

"Might be nothing, but might be what I think it is," he spoke cryptically, and pressed the button on the small ball, which then expanded into a baseball-sized ball, which then opened up, releasing a streak of light into the room that landed in front of the cell of Palkia.

The light faded and revealed a large, possibly reptilian humanoid with bluish skin, dark underwear, some sort of belt…and four arms.

"I knew it!" Kensuke gasped, approaching the four-armed creature. "It's great to see you again, Brute-Chan."

The creature looked at him…and then wrapped him in a bear hug.

"Machamp!" It spoke, recognizing its owner, even after this long.

"You know this creature?" Antonio asked, and the creature released Kensuke.

"Yeah. Shinji and I met him during our time in the Johto Region. This is Brute-Chan, my Machamp, a Fighting-Type Pokemon."

"This is your Pokemon?" Misato gasped.

-x-

 _"This is your Pokemon?"_ Shinji awoke to the voice of a woman the next morning, feeling as though he heard it in his mind.

"Misato?" He uttered.

"Eee?" His Eevee awoke.

"Oh, uh, good morning, Misato," he greeted her.

-x-

She couldn't believe it was possible, but here it was in front of them. Misato was astounded by the Machamp, the second Pokemon to be in this world. Even more astonishing was just touching its arms, feeling its muscles.

"How did you get such a creature?" She asked Kensuke, who sorted out all of his backpack's contents to show the people what he had.

"Shinji and I were visiting a dojo in Cianwood City in the Johto Region when he fought at the Cianwood City Gym, which specializes in Fighting-Type Pokemon. The gym leader was so enthralled by Shinji's Pokemon that he offered him his Machamp, but Shinji declined and suggested that I was better suited. I'm not even a Pokemon Trainer, but it was never too late to get into the profession…or just travel with one as your companion. So…that's how we met."

"Champ!" Brute-Chan went, picking Misato up and holding her over his head with all four arms.

"Whoa!" She gasped, never anticipating that it could lift her so high.

"Yeah, I was surprised by Brute-Chan's strength, too," Kensuke expressed, holding the camcorder Shinji had acquired and gave him to record their exploits and the battles and contests he participated in, and then at the various memory cards that hadn't to have no doubt held the long hours of footage that they could go through for weeks.

Antonio looked down at and picked up one of the red devices that Kensuke had set out. They looked like small, video games.

"These are the Pokedex systems that are supposed to have information on the Pokemon of whatever region it's from?" He asked the teen.

"Yeah. That's Shinji's Kanto Pokedex, his first one."

Antonio aimed the Pokedex at Brute-Chan and the device lit up with information and a picture of the creature.

"Machamp, the Superpower Pokemon, and the evolved form of Machoke," said Dexter. "By using its four arms, it is able to level a mountain within minutes. It is said that trying to perform acts of care and dexterity causes its limbs to become entangled. Machamp is among the fiercest Fighting Pokemon in existence."

"Incredible," Antonio expressed.

Brute-Chan that set Misato down and walked over to Kensuke, raising his lower right arm up to him in a fist.

Kensuke responded with a fist bump in turn.

-x-

"…I must say, I am deeply impressed by you capturing all three Legendary Birds, Shinji," said Prof. Oak to him when he arrived at the Pokemon Center in Canalave City and contacted his lab in Pallet Town after two days of flying on Asuka to give Rei and his feet a rest.

"Except I didn't really capture it," Shinji explained to him, having seen the Articuno being observed and sketched by Tracey behind Prof. Oak. "I mean, I wanted to, but after seeing it, I just…couldn't bring myself to do it. It…took my Ultra Ball and captured itself."

"Not surprising. Some Pokemon are so enthralled by certain people that they'll follow them, regardless of previous intentions."

"Yet, as easy as that seems, it defeats the purpose of a true capture where the Pokemon tests the trainer's worthiness. Well, anyway, I'm going to face the Gym Leader once I locate the gym. I didn't expect to find a bunch of islands to be the entire city of Canalave upon finding it. I'm going to need Fenikkusu and Pyro to backup Asuka against the Steel Pokemon we're bound to face, since the gym specializes in Steel-Types."

"Do you know which Pokemon you'll be sending over for the time being?"

"Yes. Toji and Sakura. I've been meaning to give them time to train with the others."

During the time he was in the Johto Region, his Larvitar and Chikorita had, due to his training regimen with them, evolved into their final stages as Tyranitar and Meganium, respectively. While he periodically swapped them and Kensuke out for his other Pokemon to train and face others in matches and make it to the Pokemon League, he kept returning them to his roster every now and then. He even swapped them out one time for his two Nidoran that he nicknamed Suzuhara and Horaki after the family names of Toji and Hikari, respectively, back when they were Nidoran and then evolved into Nidorino and Nidorina, respectively.

"I'm sure the Gym Leader will be most impressed by the spectacular variety of Fire Pokemon you'll be using," Prof. Oak told him, and they began to swap his Tyranitar and Meganium for his Moltres and Entei. "I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you, Prof. Oak," he responded, holding the Ultra Ball that contained his Fenikkusu and the Fast Ball that contained his Pyro.

-x-

To say that Asuka, Rei and Misato were fascinated by the video proof of Shinji's adventures in the Pokemon world was under advisement. They were beyond fascinated, they were impressed with his recorded victories in the Kanto League where he got third place before Asuka, his evolved Charizard fell from both her injuries and from fatigue at the claws of a Blastoise that weakened her. Then, his gym matches in places like Azalea Town, Goldenrod City, Olivine City and Blackthorn City of the Johto Region up until his improvement in the Silver Conference that was the Johto League's designation where he got second place with the aid of his Tyranitar nicknamed Toji and additional Pokemon that he caught and rotated.

Even Toji and Hikari, who couldn't believe it when Kensuke and Asuka informed them of the footage, were surprised to see Shinji alive and well…and looking like he was actually having a good time.

"Just look at him," went Toji, seeing Shinji atop his Gyarados' back. "He's riding a giant sea serpent without any fear."

"It almost makes me want one of those creatures as a pet," added Hikari, though she'd prefer a smaller animal, like the Furret that Shinji caught or evolved from a bunch of Sentret.

"I could show you Brute-Chan, if you like," Kensuke offered, holding the Poke Ball that had his Machamp after it was decided by the Giovanni Corporation that it was best not to separate the four-armed Pokemon from its owner, so long as he didn't think of using it to cause harm.

"No thanks," she declined.

"Is that the Pokemon called Mewtwo?" Rei questioned Kensuke, pointing to the Pokemon that looked like some sort of gray and purple cat that stood up like a man.

"Yeah," he answered her. "That's Mewtwo…though Shinji prefers to call him Master…as in the master of his own destiny instead of being used as a tool or claimed as property because he was made by some scientists."

"The master of his own destiny?" Rei questioned, confused.

"Instead of doing what others decide, you make your own choices," went Toji, seeing Shinji clasp wrists with the Psychic Pokemon after he caught it, showing his friendship.

" _You are Master now,"_ said Shinji to the Mewtwo. _"Master…of your own destiny. You decide your fate, who is friend and who is foe…and where your place in the world is."_

" _I am…Master,"_ the Mewtwo responded, _"and you two are friends."_

"So, Kensuke, how do you intend to explain your new houseguest to your father?" Misato asked him, unable to comprehend how the world would even accept that a non-Angel creature was currently owned by a fourteen-year-old boy.

"That Brute-Chan is well-behaved, can pick up the heavy furniture and doesn't take up space when he needs to rest," he explained.

"He's likely going to freak out when he sees the arms."

-x-

"…I accept your challenge, young Ikari," said the Canalave Gym Leader, Byron, to Shinji, who, despite being a Pokemon Trainer himself, left the teen slightly unnerved by his devotion to digging fossils that he left his family in Oreburgh City where his son ran the gym.

If anything, this man just reminded him of his own father, only he wasn't the head of a paramilitary agency or forced his son to operate in dangerous conditions with no regard to his safety. The guy just dug holes and faced other trainers to reward badges to the ones that defeated him to get into the Sinnoh League.

"Well, Misato," he expressed to his Eevee, holding his Ultra Ball in his left hand. "Let's get ourselves another badge with all our effort."

"Eevo," she responded.

"We didn't come all this way just to back down."

To be continued…

A/N: Sorry to leave you with another cliffhanger. I aim to do another time jump to get Shinji closer to his goal of getting home. What do you think of Kensuke having a Pokemon of his own in the Eva world? Also, the nickname for Mewtwo seemed most appropriate for it because it had to be able to decide its own destiny and not be controlled by its makers like in the films.


	15. Time and Space Revelations

Creation began on 12-05-16

Creation ended on 12-31-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Time and Space Revelations

"What?" Gendo questioned Ritsuko once he had been informed of the Fourth Child's continued presence at the Giovanni Corporation's research facility. "The Fourth Child obtained video evidence of his time with the Third Child in the other dimension?"

"Yes," she answered him. "Not only that, but he also seems to have a creature of his own that was able to cross over into this world…in a backpack that the Third Child acquired for him there…and the Giovanni Corporation permitted him to keep it, as it was confirmed to be his."

"What type of creature?"

"A four-armed humanoid. Six feet tall, weighing three-hundred-fifty pounds."

"What were they thinking?"

Ritsuko decided not to tell him that the Fourth Child went and posted the video footage of the Third Child and his adventures on the Internet and was getting reviews and questions that were being answered to the best of his abilities.

-x-

It was actually Asuka's idea for him to put the footage on the Internet, but Kensuke figured that he was going to do it, anyway. It just helped to remind the world that Shinji was still alive, just displaced in another world, looking for a way back. He never expected to get reviews or questions about what the creatures were or how Shinji was about to control them, what he was doing in the other world or why the people cheered for him and others that owned a bunch of them on the battlefields.

"Hey, ladies," he greeted Asuka and Rei as he and Toji were walking down the street to school.

"Pilot Aida," responded Rei.

"Your posts got more questions than anything I had expected before, Fourth," Asuka told him. "Even Hikari had to ask about the ball-shaped Pokemon that explode."

"Voltorb and Electrode," he explained. "Supposedly, they were recent developments in the production of Poke Balls. Even Shinji said they look like the standard balls, only bigger and more intense."

"I asked more about those plant creatures that Kensuke filmed Shinji catching that were huge and tried to eat him every chance they got, and it was suggested by him that it was how they show affection." Toji told them.

"Victreebel," Kensuke explained, "and there were only two of them that ever tried to eat Shinji. It turned out they were evolved from their smaller forms called Weepinbell, which are, if anyone thinks about it, more pleasant to be around."

As they neared the school, they anticipated that the student body that viewed the video posts wherever they could would set to ask as many questions as they could about the Pokemon Shinji and Kensuke had either seen or caught and how Shinji had survived in the other world.

-x-

"…Hmm… The closest town is still about three miles away," said Shinji to Misato, checking his map and Poketch, as they were walking through the woods.

"Eevo," she responded, but then felt the fur under her purple scarf bristle with discontent; something had given her a mild spook. "Eee?"

Shinji looked away from his Poketch and turned to the left of the trees, seeing an old building in a small clearing.

"What the…" He uttered, recognizing it as the Old Chateau of Eterna Forest, which was hundreds of miles away from where they were after leaving Canalave City once they defeated the Gym Leader and earned their badge…and resolved Shinji's mild disgust of the guy's choices of putting passion before family. "The Old Chateau?"

"Eee!" Misato went, and Shinji looked down at her, seeing her nod her head in the negative. "Eevo! Eevo!"

He picked her up into his arms and responded, "I know how you feel, Misato. It's not easy to forget. Going inside that place just once was enough to give us nightmares. Once was enough."

Then, he carried her down the path leading away from the old mansion; although the young trainer had managed to catch Pokemon there, the building left its mark of discontent on him and his Eevee that was enough to haunt them for a long time, and they didn't need any more hauntings from the afterlife.

 _Even if it was nothing more than an illusion, it's best not to risk it,_ he thought, deciding to walk faster to get closer to the next time. _Where are you when we need you, Kensuke?_

-x-

"…None of us here can see any harm in the video footage Mr. Aida posted," Antonio told Misato as they were preparing to try and peer into the Pokemon dimension through Palkia again. "If anything, it helps to prove further that inter-dimensional travel is within reach."

"It's only because my boss is pissed," Misato stated. "He feels this will excite people a little too much and cause pandemonium."

"Does Gendo Ikari even know how to spell 'pandemonium'?"

"I won't argue with you about that… Is Palkia okay?"

Palkia didn't seem as passive as it originally looked in its cell. It looked…restless, like it had plenty of energy, but no outlet with which the burn it up.

"Ever since yesterday, it's been feeling restless," Antonio explained to her. "I want for it to go outside for a while, but, just as you said about the video posts, we don't want to excite people too much and cause pandemonium."

"Time and space are one and the same," said Palkia suddenly, catching their attention. "Time and space… One cannot exist without the other… To possess one is the need to possess the other… To need time…only to have space… But…to desire space…one must…have…time…"

Misato and Antonio looked at one another, confused by the Pokemon's choice of words, not understanding what it meant.

"Palkia," Misato then said to the large creature, slowly approaching the tank. "What are you trying to say? What are you talking about?"

"Time and space," it told her. "They are but doors and keys to one another. I am the guardian of space…who serves as both key and doorway to the opposing guardian of time, who is but the same as I… To have one…is to need the other."

It then pressed its claws against the glass, which then rippled like water, only sideways.

Misato saw something in the ripples. It looked like…like a person she was only seeing from a grand distance lately, throwing small balls of plastic and metal at various, different creatures, night and day, without limit. They were a young man, accompanied by a small, fox-like cat in a purple scarf, either atop a red sea serpent…or an orange dragon…or some type of large, four-legged animal that might've been bred from a dog or something that wore a strange mask.

"What some would refer to as the Apocalypse, others call a revelation," Palkia told them as the ripples intensified, showing the man that Misato was convinced was Shinji, now standing in front of a cave entrance with a determined look on his face. "The boy you are trying to keep in touch with… The one trying to find his way back to this dimension…must face a revelation of his own that will hinder the chances of success…for everyone else involved for benevolent reasons."

Then, like something out of a ghost film, Palkia moved forward, passing through the rippled glass, just as the boy entered the cave after shouting something that couldn't be heard…and fell down to the ground, panting from exhaustion.

"To gain one is to need the other," he enforced, and then passed out.

Misato then looked to Antonio and said what was probably against her better judgment, but didn't think they had any other alternatives at the moment.

"I think we need all of Shinji's friends here," she told him.

"All of them?" Antonio asked her.

"All of them," she repeated, concerned.

-x-

It was beyond impossible. This cave simply didn't exist anywhere on the map or in his Poketch, but here it was…and Shinji was inside it, looking for someone that was calling for help.

"Someone, help, please!" The person, a young boy by the sound of their voice, called out again, and Shinji and Misato ran through the tunnel to find where they were.

It sounded like they were close by, but there was no sign of them.

"Where are you?" Shinji shouted, noticing how the details of the cave walls were similar to the ones he and Kensuke had seen in the previous regions and earlier in the Sinnoh Region before he disappeared back to the other dimension, but there was just something about this one that seemed…cobbled together, like some sort of labyrinth or something. "Where are you?!"

"Eevo!" Misato called out, too.

Roughly a month after the last gym match Shinji needed to gain entry into the Sinnoh League, he had expanded his collection of Pokemon by catching, unexpectedly, a Legendary Pokemon known as Darkrai. And then, again unexpectedly, he encountered the Lake Trio all at once at one the lakes they're known to inhabit…and they became part of his expanding group. Mostly because he felt like he had some bad luck on him for a few victories over several trainers that he was certain were just starting out…or that he had simply grown too strong to be in the same league as the common trainer. Unlike the ones that were either focused on quantity or quality when it came to Pokemon, Shinji wanted to be balanced between them; he couldn't swap out his entire roster of Pokemon for the Legendary Pokemon he had captured for the sake of power. One or two, perhaps, but never the whole roster.

"Eevo?" Misato got his attention, and looked down at her.

It was no different from how he felt about using Evolutionary Stones or trading to evolve his Pokemon. While he had been fortunate enough to catch fully-evolved ones in the wild, he just felt…uncomfortable evolving any of the ones he had that still could. He wouldn't even evolve Misato after discovering that she could evolve into any different type of Pokemon depending on the circumstances requiring a specific evolution because he liked her as she was, which was why he made her wear the Ever Stone to keep her from evolving.

"No evolutionary cheats for either of us," he reminded her.

"Eee?" She went confused by that, and deduced that he had thought back to how certain Pokemon required those rocks to evolve or needed to be exchanged, which made him uncomfortable doing so. "Eee."

Crack! The ground beneath them gave way, and they fell into the chasm below.

"Aaaaahh!" Shinji screamed, feeling as though he was falling into a deep, dark hole.

"Welcome…to the Underground," they heard the voice that called out to them, no longer sounding like they needed help.

-x-

"Ugh!" Kensuke shuddered, standing outside the Giovanni Corporation building as he waited on Toji, Hikari, Asuka and Rei (whom, despite not having any orders from either Gendo or Dr. Akagi, still came with them when she was informed that their presence could help in the matter concerning Shinji) to catch up with him.

"What's the matter?" Toji asked him.

"I just had a bad feeling about Shinji," he told him. "Like he's in trouble or something serious."

Suddenly, Toji felt a chill go up his spine, like someone had stuck him inside a freezer.

"Are you ready to see a Pokemon much larger than Brute-Chan?" Kensuke asked them.

"Don't ask me," said Asuka to him. "You've seen these creatures in the flesh, you've filmed them. Show us the big one."

He then led them into the building lobby and down a flight of stairs to the large chamber that housed Palkia. But Palkia was no longer inside its tank. It was levitating over everyone present, just moving wherever in the air.

"Aah!" Hikari gasped, wanting to leave, but grabbed Toji by his right arm. "That's…that's…"

"Meet Palkia, the Spatial Pokemon," Kensuke introduced them to the Legendary Pokemon representing space.

Because Palkia was looking up at the ceiling, it turned over to its left to face the teens.

"Greetings," it spoke.

"My God," Hikari gasped again, still clinging to Toji's arm. "How is it talking like that?"

Rei observed the draconian beast and found that, despite being quite massive, seemed unusually…cute.

"Friends of the boy you're trying to bring back here?" It asked.

"Yeah," answered Misato to the creature. "These are all of them."

"Welcome, everyone," greeted Antonio to them. "Don't mind the large dragon. It's just a little…restless for the time being."

"Dragon? Right." Asuka expressed.

"Dragon Pokemon exist," Kensuke responded.

"I'm not disbelieving."

"So, if I may ask," went Hikari to Misato and Antonio, noticing that there were several other people down here that were working on various cameras and other equipment, "why did you need us here?"

Misato and Antonio walked over to them, under the floating Palkia, and the man responded, "We would like your help in reaching out to Shinji beyond this dimension."

"Like how Kensuke did?" Toji asked.

"Yes."

"It's probably not all that different," Kensuke explained his experience with the process. "You just lie down, they monitor your vitals while injecting you with barbiturates while the film crew monitors Palkia…and slowly-but-surely, you're traveling to the world of Pokemon."

But Hikari had her doubts about that. Mainly because she had never done anything of the sort…and found it difficult to comprehend how one could travel to another dimension through a combination of drugs and videotape equipment used on a creature that didn't exist anywhere in this world. But she was seeing the impossible right in front of her, hearing it, even feeling it (she had actually touched Kensuke's Machamp and couldn't believe how thick his hide or muscles were, like he had existed to work out all the time).

"When do we begin?" Toji asked, wanting to help get Shinji closer to his goal of finally returning to this world.

"The next ten minutes would be greatly appreciated," suggested Antonio to them, leading towards a room.

-x-

Kensuke's father would have never believed it if he hadn't seen it. It was difficult enough for three men to move furniture, but his son's Machamp, or Brute-Chan, was able to lift up the sofa without even breaking a sweat while he was able to vacuum under it. When he was done, he had the four-armed humanoid set it back down so they could sit down.

"Thank you, Brute-Chan," he praised the Pokemon.

"Machamp," Brute-Chan responded.

" _I don't know if this is permanent or not, but as long as he's here, Dad, we should really make the most of it,"_ his son had told him after introducing them. _"Brute-Chan's good with heavy lifting and doesn't take up space when he needs to rest because I have his ball with me."_

 _And you said he knows four specific moves that make him formidable as a guard, if need be,_ his father thought, trying to recall the moves his son lifted. _Strength, Karate Chop, Seismic Toss and Mega Punch? I guess that would make anyone intimidated by him._

" _But whatever you do, don't let anyone hurt him. He has a life and feelings like we do."_

If Brute-Chan was like a pet, he was the most humanoid pet that has ever existed in this world so far. And because he was the only Pokemon any one person possessed here, it made Kensuke a little more popular than ever, almost in the same capacity as Shinji Ikari, but mostly because he was in this world still, body, mind and soul.

Ring! The doorbell rang, and the father gasped; he normally didn't have visitors, even on his days off from NERV.

He got up and grabbed the Poke Ball.

"Until later, Brute-Champ," he told the Pokemon, returning him into the ball. "Be right there!"

He pressed the white button on the ball and it shrunk down to the size of a ping-pong ball, which he then put in his pants' right pocket.

Upon answering the door, he was greeted by none other than Ritsuko Akagi herself.

"May I help you?" He asked her, hoping it wasn't about his son's Pokemon.

-x-

"…I just want you to know, Fourth," went Asuka to Kensuke as they were laying in cots while the medical staff injected the sleeping barbiturates into their IV drips, "if I get killed over there, I'm kicking your ass."

"I doubt any of us will die over there," said Toji. "We have to get there first."

Hikari yawned…and hit her pillow like a sack of potatoes.

Rei followed suit right after.

"What should we expect to see over there?" Toji asked Kensuke, feeling the effects of the drugs.

"Expect to see…a lot of Pokemon…" He answered, hoping their visit would be long enough to make an impact in Shinji's time there. "See you…soon…bro…"

-x-

Shinji came to after hearing Misato and feeling her jump up and down on his chest.

"Ahh…" He groaned, getting up to his feet.

"Eevo," his Eevee went, getting off him.

"Are you alright, Misato?"

"Eee."

"That's good to know."

They looked around and saw the hole they fell through. Unfortunately, it was too small for any Flying Pokemon to have them be carried up and Shinji didn't have Master with them to use his psychic powers to levitate or teleport them to a safe place outside the cave. This time, they had to find the way out on their own.

"Wee?" Misato questioned.

"Well, Misato, the only way we're going to get out of here is by finding the way ourselves," he told her, and then picked her up and started walking down a tunnel. "We've been through worse than this, and we're still around."

-x-

"…And Mr. Aida said his son had gone back to the Giovanni Corporation," said Ritsuko to Gendo and Fuyutsuki in the former's office.

"What about the creature that he brought back with him from the other dimension?" Gendo questioned her; this was mainly because he wanted to know how a creature of this sort could exist and how it evolved to be this way, even if it meant having to cut it open.

"He claims his son took it with him back to the Giovanni Corporation. He might've been lying, but he seemed convinced not to sell out his son's Pokemon for any reason."

"The Fourth Child's presence at the Giovanni Corporation may explain the absence of the First and Second Child's absence, since there was a synchronization test that they didn't come for." Fuyutsuki suggested.

This infuriated Gendo, having no control over the children's actions. If there was an Angel attack in the future and they weren't in the Evas, his scenario was endangered.

Then, just because he felt it was the right thing to do, Fuyutsuki walked from behind Gendo's desk towards the door.

"Where are you going, Fuyutsuki?" Gendo asked him.

"You know where I'm going," he said cryptically back to him and left.

-x-

"…Wha… What?" Hikari gasped, finding herself in a wood, laying against a tree. "Where… Am I here? Am I…really here?"

"We must be here?" She heard the groaning of Asuka, looking to her left and seeing the redhead getting up from against a neighboring tree. "If we're here subconsciously, it feels like we're really here, physically."

As Hikari got up, on her right, Rei came to and got up, wondering how they went from being inside an underground facility to being outside in a wooden area.

"Those nurses must've drugged me real good," the girls heard Toji, appearing from behind a bush. "Or I've died and gone to Heaven because of a bad reaction to those barbiturates."

"Oh, really?" Kensuke asked him, appearing behind the tree that Rei was near. "Why do you believe that you died?"

"Because there ain't no place like this near Tokyo-3," Toji explained. "It's so quiet and beautiful out here."

Kensuke searched his backpack, which he was grateful for having back in this world and was relieved to find his own Poketch in one of the pouches and placed it on his wrist before activating it.

"Hmm…that's weird," he said to himself.

"What is?" Asuka asked him. "Where are we, Fourth?"

"Well, we're in the Sinnoh Region, but the location we're in doesn't make sense. The map app on my Poketch says there's a cave nearby, but that's not right. There shouldn't be any caves near where we are. And… Oh, man."

"What?" Toji asked him.

"The calendar app says that it's been over a month since Shinji and I got separated."

"Just a month?"

"A month-and-a-half, give or take."

Stomp! Something shook the ground. Stomp!

"What was that?" Hikari asked.

Something appeared from behind a few trees away from them. It was…some sort of monster! Larger than a man, black and gray, covered in armor and had a horn over each eye!

"Kensuke, what is that thing?" Hikari asked, frightened by its presence.

"It's an Aggron," he answered.

"A what?" Asuka went.

"A Steel/Rock Pokemon from the Hoenn Region. They shouldn't be anywhere near Sinnoh."

"Are they…friendly?" Toji asked him.

"Grr…" The Aggron growled at them.

"No, they're territorial," he told them.

Kensuke then grabbed Toji and Rei by their arms and ran down the opposite direction, away from the Aggron.

Asuka and Hikari followed suit and ran for their lives.

"Follow me to the cave!" Kensuke told them.

The Aggron pursued them.

-x-

"…Hmm?" Shinji went, looking to his left down a tunnel that glittered with a sheen of crystal. "Misato, did you hear anything just now?"

"Eee," she responded in the negative. "Eevo?"

"I just thought I heard someone," he explained to her, and resumed carrying his Eevee down the ruby-glistening tunnel.

The cave just got larger and larger and felt like it went deeper and deeper than closer to a way out back into the woods. It made Shinji feel like he were getting sucked into the shadow of the Twelfth Angel all over again; a strange thought after nearly four years of wanderlust.

"Eevo!" Misato went, squirming in Shinji's arms.

"What is it?" He asked her, letting her go onto the ground.

"Eee! Eevo!" She told him, running further down the ruby-glistening tunnel. "Eevo!"

He followed her; all he could do was put his faith in her guidance that she knew something was waiting for them at the end of the tunnel. When left without a sense of direction, a trainer had to put their faith in their Pokemon to show them the way to safety.

"You lead, I follow, Misato!" He told her. "Show us the way!"

-x-

It was weak at first, but the transmission got better after a while, and the picture cleared up of static, showing the work crew, Misato and Antonio the kids running from a large, armored animal that was chasing them towards a cave.

"They're all there," said Antonio.

"…Quick! It shouldn't fit in the cave!" Kensuke shouted, leading them into the cave.

"I haven't seen all of the video posts that Mr. Aida put on the Internet, but I'm guessing that Pokemon isn't one of the friendlier ones," Misato expressed, seeing the creature, despite the futility of the kids, smash its way into the cave. "Oh, God."

The kids ran for their lives, going down one tunnel after another, with the creature still in pursuit of them.

"You and Shinji actually run from creatures like this?!" Toji asked Kensuke.

"We didn't always run from them! Shinji would sometimes catch them!"

They ran deeper and deeper into the cave…until…

BASH! They crashed into someone.

"Ahh…" Asuka and Rei groaned.

"I don't believe my eyes," they heard the voice of Shinji. "Are you really here?"

"Shinji!" Toji gasped, grabbing the boy by his shoulders. "Aw, man, you're here!"

"Toji? Hikari? Ayanami? Asuka? Kensuke? You're all here?"

Before anyone else could say anything, the wild Aggron appeared behind a corner.

"Grr!" It growled at them. "Grr!"

"Eevo!" His Eevee went.

"We got this," said Shinji to the others. "Stand back."

-x-

Taking out of his Fast Balls, Shinji unleashed his Entei.

"Grrrrr!" Pyro growled, trying to intimidate Aggron.

"Pyro, use Fire Blast," Shinji instructed, and the Entei unleashed a large ball of fire against the wild Pokemon.

"Whoa!" Hikari gasped, holding onto Toji.

Aggron, now partially burnt by the Fire Blast, fell to the ground.

Shinji, not willing to risk it getting up and attacking them again, threw a Great Ball he had on him at the Aggron. The ball sucked the creature into it and fell to the ground and started wiggling around a bit.

Ping! The ball went, no longer moving, and Shinji picked it up.

"This Aggron won't be bothering anyone, anymore," he told them, and then the ball disappeared from his hand. "How did you guys manage to get here? With Kensuke, it was an honest accident that was greatly appreciated. I mean… How were you able to come here?"

"The same way Kensuke did, Shinji," answered Toji to him, looking at Pyro. "Is this…the Entei you call Pyro?"

Shinji petted Pyro on the left side of his face and answered, "Yep."

"Oh, so cute!" Hikari gasped, picking up Misato. "You must be Misato."

"Eee?"

"Hikari, please, put down Misato," Shinji told her. "She doesn't know you yet."

He approached her and quickly placed his Eevee back on the ground…where she ran over to a cave wall and began relieving herself.

"Oh!" Hikari gasped.

"That could've been you," Shinji informed her. "You have to let her get used to your presence before she consents to being picked up by people besides myself and Kensuke."

Hikari and Toji looked at Kensuke, who gave a slight smile; ever since they found him staying longer than what seemed possible, this allowed Shinji's first Pokemon to get used to him to allow him to pick her up without being unintentionally urinated upon out of nervousness or fright.

"She's just not used to being picked up by others as much as she's used to being picked up by Shinji or myself," he explained this tidbit of information. "Give her a while to get used to each of you, and she'll eventually warm up to you."

When Misato was done relieving herself, she returned to Shinji's side.

"Eevo?" She went.

"They're friends, Misato," he told her.

Then, Pyro approached Asuka, who seemed intimidated by him. He sniffed her hair and face.

"Grr?" He went to Shinji.

"I believe if they were running away from the Aggron, Pyro, then they were outside and know how to get out of this cave," Shinji told him.

"Grr."

"Could you guys show us the way out?"

"Uh, yeah," said Toji to him. "We came in from down that way. Wow, man, you…you look so… I mean, look at you. Has it really been almost four years since you ended up here?"

"You'd be surprised at how little anyone changes during long periods of travel," Shinji told him.

Since Pyro was among the larger Pokemon Shinji had that could move around in the cave, Shinji let Hikari, Rei and Asuka ride on his back while he, Toji and Kensuke walked.

"I just can't believe you actually caught something like this, Shinji," said Hikari to him, unable to believe that Pyro was a Legendary Pokemon. "It's…incredible."

"He, Hikari. Not 'it'. Pyro's a male."

"Right. Sorry."

"You're like a celebrity back home on the Internet, Shinji," Toji told him. "When Kensuke got his footage of you here during a monitoring experiment, he posted what he had so far for the world to see. People know you're still alive and ask all sorts of questions about how you ended up here and everything about your Pokemon."

"Oh, really?" Shinji questioned, looking back at the girls on Pyro. "Like what, exactly?"

"Like how you managed to survive your encounters with some really powerful hitters," Asuka spoke up. "How you're able to endure being burned, shocked and sent flying off your feet."

"It comes with the profession of being a trainer. But I'm far from indestructible or anything. Nobody is when facing Pokemon that are just much stronger than human beings are. But people and Pokemon coexist without much difficulty, except from those that believe that Pokemon are merely a means to an end or desire power for the sake of taking the world for themselves."

"Like these different organizations you've faced before?" Toji asked. "These…Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua and Team Galactic lunatics?"

"Among the type of people I've encountered in the regions I've been around so far. After the Pokemon League here in Sinnoh, since I need to catch more Pokemon from the other regions, I'm going to head to the Unova Region and try my luck with the league there."

"Oh, Shinji, we might've found out something from back home that may help you," Kensuke reminded himself to inform Shinji. "Something about what the Palkia there told Ms. Katsuragi."

"Go on, then."

"She said that it said that whatever Pokemon you catch later, if they're of these rare and powerful sorts, to catch one is to need the other," Hikari informed.

"Time and space are one and the same," added Rei. "Doors and keys to one another."

Shinji stopped walking and took out his Sinnoh Region Pokedex.

"Palkia," he uttered.

"Palkia, the Spatial Pokemon," Dexter uttered, displaying the limited information on the Legendary Pokemon. Revered as a deity in the mythology of the Sinnoh Region, Palkia is believed to be able to distort space and create spatial gaps in any given location."

Then he switched to a different Pokemon that seemed similar to Palkia, but was of a darker coloration and not as draconic in its appearance.

"Dialga, the Temporal Pokemon," Dexter revealed. "Revered as a deity throughout the mythology of the Sinnoh Region, Dialga is believed to have power over the flow of time with every beat of its heart. It is believed that time began the instant Dialga was born."

"Temporal?" Toji questioned.

"It's another way of saying 'time'," Shinji explained. "Dialga and Palkia are part of what Sinnoh people refer to as the Creation Trio, comprised of both of them and a third member called Giratina, the Renegade Pokemon."

"Giratina?" Rei questioned, and Shinji swapped to the next Pokemon on his Pokedex.

The creature looked like some sort of yellow, gray, black and red dinosaur-like creature with six legs and a pair of wings.

"That Pokemon looks rather scary," Kensuke told Shinji.

"Giratina, the Renegade Pokemon," Dexter informed. "Believed to reside within a reverse world where it was banished due to its savage aggressiveness."

"And they're all part of this…Creation Trio?" Hikari asked.

"Yeah," Shinji answered in a sigh. "Time, space and antimatter. To have any one of these three Pokemon…is to need the other two."

"But…that means you'll need to catch a Palkia…and the only Palkia we know of…is in our world," said Rei.

"There's bound to be more than one Palkia, Rei," Kensuke told her. "Legendary Pokemon are rare, but not extinct or endangered to the point of there being only one in existence. You just have to be able to find them."

"How do you hope to catch one, Third?" Asuka asked.

"The same way I catch any other Pokemon, Asuka," Shinji responded. "I look far and wide, searching any terrain, exploring any place that a Pokemon is known to inhabit, and do my best to catch them."

Even though there was a gap in the length of time between them, Shinji was more than three years older than they all were, so his three-and-a-half-year-long absence from their world had left the boy vastly educated on much of what these creatures were and how to deal with them.

"Asuka, very little time may have past back home, but I'm far from the house-broken male you saw me as," he told her. "You spend time traveling around here, you end up finding things that give you new meaning."

"Like what, something better than piloting the Eva?"

"Yes. Yes, better than that. Like flying on a Pidgeot or Charizard, or swimming with Gyarados or Seaking. Heh, even waking up to the singing of some Dodrio or Taillow in the morning. I do enjoy the time I spend here, for better or for worse."

"What about using Pokemon for personal gain?"

"That's mostly frowned upon. You treat Pokemon like they're pawns or weapons just because of what they can do, then you're no better than a criminal. I've dealt with my share of people that misuse Pokemon for personal gain or some other cruelty. They're as alive as any of us are and deserve to be treated with respect. I've actually met the guy that was once my Charizard's trainer back when she was just a Charmander and then a Charmeleon…and he was among the worst people I ever met that dared to call themselves a Pokemon Trainer if he saw them only for their power, not for them. It turned out that he was excommunicated from the Kanto League after he was found out to have abandoned over twenty of his Pokemon, including my Charizard and another Charizard belonging to a trainer that's in the Unova Region; if you're discovered to have abandon a certain number of Pokemon within the region you travel around, you're prohibited from participating in that region's Pokemon League for the number of years associated with the number of Pokemon you abandoned."

"Twenty years?" Hikari asked. "That's a long time."

"He wouldn't have to wait that long if he had proof that his abandoned Pokemon were simply released instead. All he had to do was shatter his Poke Balls used to capture, proving that he set them free. Instead, he kept the balls and used to catch other Pokemon. Wherever he is now, I pray that he's treating his Pokemon with respect and not as tools of the trade."

"Eevo!" Misato agreed with him.

-x-

"Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki?" Misato questioned, seeing the elderly man step into the large room. "What are you doing here?"

"I…just had to see this for myself," Fuyutsuki explained, seeing the large Pokemon that was being filmed and monitored by the crew. "Incredible. Truly incredible."

"If you think Palkia's incredible," said Antonio to him, "you should take a look into what the other world is while we're still able to."

Fuyutsuki walked over to the console and saw on the monitor the children and Shinji himself.

"While we're still here for the time being," said the pig-tailed girl to them, "could you show us where this Sinnoh League is, Shinji?"

"Yeah," said Shinji in response to her. "It's where we're heading. It's held annually on Lily of the Valley Island, over in the south. The Lily of the Valley Conference where the Sinnoh League takes place is still a long while away from now, it's not a bad thing to go there still and get everything in order with the registration for the competition."

"How long of a while are we talking about?" Toji asked him.

"Two months from now," he answered.

"Two months before you can compete in the Sinnoh League?" Kensuke questioned. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I checked with Prof. Rowan after I defeated my last gym. Shall we?"

"Lead the way to this…Lily of the Valley Island," went Asuka to him.

-x-

Gendo decided to view the online footage that had been posted by the Fourth Child. But all he saw was not the exploits of a displaced Third Child as he fought against other people in these battles for recognition and glory. No, he saw these random creatures capable of things that would have made a human army a thing of the past. Creatures made of or covered in dense rock, large, aquatic creatures with tentacles and stingers, giant birds of fire and electrical surges. If anything, he had his own ideas about Pokemon…and their usefulness.

 _Very interesting,_ he thought, seeing the Third Child capture a large, rhino-like creature with a drill-like horn and a long tail and a large, bear-like creature with a ring on its front. _And if such creatures can be controlled, any one person with a large number of these animals could mow down a small army._

And after watching a scene where the Third Child carry a small bunch of dragon-like serpents from a large group of ball-shaped creatures with eyes and attitude as they blew up, Gendo felt that he needed a backup plan to go with his scenario. If the Giovanni Corporation ever achieved their goal and also managed to bring the Third Child back to this dimension and if he had any of these creatures with him…he wanted them for himself.

"An army of these Pokemon would prove most useful against SEELE," he told himself, seeing his son clasping wrists with a strange creature that looked like a large, humanoid cat.

To be continued…

A/N: Happy New Year!


	16. Stay and See, There's More to Come

Creation began on 01-01-17

Creation ended on 02-27-17

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Stay and See, There's More to Come

A/N: Happy New Year, readers!

"…Well, Prof. Oak," went Shinji to the Kanto Pokemon Professor after reaching the Pokemon Center close by, "here are some of my other friends that I mentioned about that are from the world Kensuke and I from."

Moving away from the video phone, the temporally-displaced Pokemon Trainer showed the man his fellow temporally-displaced friends.

"Hello, sir," Hikari greeted.

"Hey, there," added Toji.

"Greetings, Prof. Oak," Rei greeted the elder.

"Howdy," said Asuka.

"Welcome to the Pokemon world," Prof. Oak responded to them. "Are they able to go back and forth like Mr. Aida?"

"It's likely they can. Part of the reason that Kensuke was around for longer than usual was because of a blackout that happened during a monitoring experiment. He was supposed to be under during the whole thing for three days, but was awakened a day early because of the blackout. That's how he ended up here for over three years with me." Shinji explained to him. "Though, three days there could be any length of time here."

"Heh-heh-heh, the perils of being displaced. But so long as they're here with you, you're bound to show them as much of the world of Pokemon as you've seen."

"Yeah, but we have to get to the Lily of the Valley to get sorted out for the conference. We're going to get there by air travel, so I'll need my largest fliers to get us there."

As Shinji began the transaction to get his Flying Pokemon that would take them to their destination, Kensuke was showing the others a map of the Sinnoh Region and how far they were from the other regions he and Shinji had been to so far…and where they just found the Unova Region.

"My God," went Toji, impressed by the mere sight of these regions on their respective maps. "That's a lot of wanderlust."

Hikari, who was holding Misato, whom had now gotten used to her, had to agree with Toji on that.

"If we end up staying long enough to see much of this world," went Asuka, pointing to the map of the Unova Region, "we should see this place."

Rei, on the other hand, turned away from the maps and at Shinji, who was holding two balls that he seemed to have just acquired.

"Thanks, Prof. Oak," she heard him say to the man on the video phone. "I look forward to speaking to you again when we reach the Lily of the Valley Island."

He came over to them and announced that he had his best Pokemon suited for aerial transport.

"I take it, you picked your most familiar fliers?" Kensuke asked him.

"And everyone's going to need goggles, too," Shinji informed them.

They went outside the Pokemon Center and Shinji unleashed the Pokemon he selected to get them to the Lily of the Valley Island.

"Whoa!" Asuka gasped, seeing three, large creatures that looked like they could take out an entire squadron of jets on their own.

One of them was Shinji's Pidgeot, as big as a tank, even with his wings closed up. The second was his Charizard, and she was built like an armada with her size and the armor-like braces on her arms and neck. And the third was the legendary Lugia that Shinji had called Guardian, and his size alone made him true to his nickname.

"Oh, man, I think I'm going to have a heart attack from all this awesomeness," said Toji, looking at the three Pokemon. "So big, so incredible!"

"So, who rides which one?" Hikari asked Shinji.

-x-

"…Somehow, I think Shinji's going to stick with the bird," said Misato as she, Antonio and Fuyutsuki saw the children going over who would ride atop which Pokemon.

"Would you and Hikari be alright riding atop Asuka, Asuka?" Shinji asked, gesturing his left hand to his Charizard.

"Grr," Asuka growled, spreading her wings.

"Kensuke, Toji and Rei can ride atop Guardian," he gestured to his Lugia, who got down and gestured for them to climb aboard, "and Misato and I'll lead the way on Kensuke here (he already climbed atop his Pidgeot). Depending on the air traffic conditions and the number of breaks we take, we should get there within two-and-a-half hours."

They saw as the First Child climbed atop Guardian with Kensuke and Toji while the Second Child did the same with Hikari atop Asuka's back while the Third Child got atop his large bird. Everyone placed on their goggles and were as prepared as any for takeoff.

"Everyone, hold on tightly! These guys fly fast!" Shinji declared, and all three winged Pokemon took off the ground and into the air!

"Waaaahh!" Asuka, Hikari and Toji gasped, holding onto their respective fliers as best they could.

"Oh, my God!" Misato chuckled, seeing them high in the air.

On the screen, Shinji flew over to Asuka and Hikari and asked them, "How does it feel to be forty-one-hundred feet in the air?"

"You baka!" Asuka shouted at him. "Did you really have to say that we're up that high?!"

"Whoo!" Hikari cheered, both excited and terrified.

Shinji then flew over to Kensuke, Rei and Toji.

"How are you doing?" He asked them.

"This is…quite the experience!" Rei told him.

"It's both thrilling…and terrifying!" Toji added.

"I know, I love it, too."

"Man, it must be exhilarating to fly on one of those Pokemon," said Antonio.

"I have never understood what it is with humans and the air," went Palkia to them, and Fuyutsuki was surprised by its speech. "Once you master the power to travel by means denied to you since the dawn of your existence, you find new ways to get to where you choose to go."

"Some people just love flying," he told it.

"That love may explain why it is hard for you to, as you have stated over the long period of your existence as a whole, stay on the ground."

"Shinji, you daredevil!" They heard Toji shout, and Fuyutsuki saw the Third Child standing atop the right wing of Guardian instead of on the back of Kensuke. "Are you crazy?!"

"Oh, he learned this from several trainers that specialize in Flying Types!" Kensuke told them. "Believe it or not, I dared him into this!"

Shinji gracefully walked across the wing to Guardian's other wing, where he stepped off…and onto the left wing of Asuka.

"I can't believe you would do this!" The redhead expressed; truth be told, she felt she could do better.

"I could show you how to do this in just three days if you wanted!" Shinji expressed, walking across the wings and hovered in the air for a brief moment until his Pidgeot came from under him. "And it's remarkably stress-relieving!"

"Eevo!" Misato agreed with him, having been on his back the whole time he was in the air.

Rei, unsure of why she was impressed by his stunt of walking in the air with his Pokemon, brought her hands up and applauded him.

-x-

"…What are you doing, Maya?" Ritsuko asked her protégé, seeing her looking at a video post of the Third Child in a battle against another person with a large, two-legged creature that looked like a palm tree with three coconuts with faces.

"Just watching Shinji during his time in the Kanto Pokemon League," the young woman answered, watching Shinji throw a ball and summoning his Charmeleon. "He never won the league, but he never gave up and never walked away from the difficulties associated with being a Pokemon Trainer. I mean, he hasn't walked away…and some of us are hoping that he doesn't give up."

Watching the red reptile spit fire at the other creature, Ritsuko expressed, "How is he able to fight these creatures without killing them? Plants die when they're severely burned, creatures made of rocks should crumble when soaked, but they don't. They don't appear to be that invulnerable."

"That's not how Pokemon battles work, Dr. Akagi. Yes, they're tough, but not invincible. The goal of any battle between trainers is to defeat your opponent by incapacitating them to the point of fainting. Freezing, dropping from exhaustion, temporary paralysis, poisoning, minor burns, even confusion. These are some of the methods permitted during certain battles. But murder is against the rules; you simply beat the opponent, not kill them. And then, there's these videos of Shinji caring for his Pokemon or learning from other people that care for Pokemon." Maya explained, selecting a new video post, showing Shinji in a city or town, watching a woman among a crowd of people as she demonstrated ways to groom mammalian Pokemon, such as brushing their fur or using conditioners designed to treat fleas or rashes. "It's not always about the violence of a challenge, but the alternatives of how to face someone and prevail."

Then a new video of Shinji feeding his Shiny Gyarados with large pellets to satiate her appetite.

"It's incredible, how he's able to get near this one without getting harmed," Ritsuko stated.

"Rei? He trained her ever since she was just a Magikarp, a small fish that can't do much of anything because of being so weak. He has a special bond with her because she saved his life from a near-drowning experience by evolving. Whenever he's not traveling by boat or plane to get across water, he gets around on her because she's one of the fastest Water Pokemon…and because, despite her appearance as a giant sea serpent, she's capable of flight. A well-trained Gyarados is among the most dependable of Pokemon."

-x-

"…There it is," Shinji told everyone, pointing to a landmass in the water. "Lily of the Valley Island! Home of the Sinnoh League!"

Asuka, Rei, Hikari, Toji and Kensuke looked where he pointed, seeing the large island.

"Whoa!" Hikari expressed. "This whole island is for the Pokemon League?"

"That's right," Shinji answered.

The Flying Pokemon began to soar downward towards the island's southern side..

"Eevo!" Misato cheered.

The town where the conference would take place seemed small, but that was expected when the primary structures were the stadiums where the matches took place. Some of the buildings were probably forty stories in height, which likely resolved any housing requirements, but something told Hikari (who had her suspicions) that the town's primary revenue was the Pokemon League, meaning it was a necessity for Shinji and other Pokemon Trainers to be here and fight it out in front of everyone.

When they finally landed on the ground, Shinji set his feet down and stretched his limbs for the third time, getting the sores and aches out of his joints.

"We're finally here, and ahead of schedule, too," he expressed as Rei, Toji and Kensuke got off Guardian and Asuka and Hikari got off Asuka. "How about you guys take a look around the town while I go to register for the conference?"

"You sure about that?" Asuka asked him.

"It shouldn't take too long. Anyway, I also need to make sure that the fliers weren't overworked."

"Pidgeo," went Kensuke as he spread his wings.

Asuka then looked up at Asuka, who seemed somewhat exhausted from flying so far. At first, she wanted to suspect that the loss of her tail flame was a factor, but then reminded herself that it had been over three-and-a-half years since Shinji caught her when she was a Charmeleon and suffered an Ice Beam attack and survived it, even though it cost her tail's flame. That was a long time to recover from a crippling injury, even if the recovery wasn't entirely what was desired or expected.

The Charizard looked at her and merely growled; she knew that when people saw or thought of her lack of a tail flame, there were hints of pity to be expected…and she didn't want any of that. Her tail flame would probably never return, but she was stronger than any other member of her species.

"We should make every second count before we likely have to go back for a while," said Toji to the others. "We could go at any time without warning."

"Unless there's another blackout there that causes us to be here longer," Kensuke added. "And towns located near where the Pokemon League takes place will have same amenities as any other location. Restaurants, theaters…clothing shops?"

"Okay," said Hikari.

Shinji put his fliers back into their Poke Balls and walked away with Misato to the Pokemon Center to register for the conference, agreeing to meet up with the others there in three hours (and this was only if they didn't disappear first).

-x-

"…Hopefully, they'll be around long enough to see him participate in this conference," said Misato to Antonio as they continued to look at the monitors.

Fuyutsuki then asked, "What do you suppose would happen if there was another blackout? Would they be staying with Shinji longer like with the Fourth Child?"

"It's possible, but I don't want to risk endangering their safety by trying to experiment with electrical blackouts," Antonio responded to him. "There's also the possibility of another time jump if that were to happen. Three or four years passing in another dimension where a young man got stranded and is trying to find a way back, that's something that can be tolerated to a degree, any other power outages could cause them to be displaced in that dimension for another uncertain amount of time, maybe longer than three or four years. But so long as another blackout doesn't occur, they should be able to be with him while under here for three days."

-x-

Once he was all set with the registration for the conference and getting his Pokemon tended to, Shinji sat in the waiting area to recoup himself, and suddenly dozed off for a minute.

 _Wake up!_ A male voice uttered in his head, and he awoke, looking around the large room, but seeing no one else near him.

 _I gotta see a doctor myself real soon,_ he thought, feeling like he was going crazy a little bit. _As soon as my Pokemon are all checked, I'll ask if there's a center for people nearby._

Ding! A sound came, signifying that someone's Pokemon were now in top condition.

"Will Shinji Ikari please report to the front desk?" The voice of Nurse Joy expressed, and Shinji got up.

"Eevo!" Misato cheered as he showed up and got her and the fliers.

"Your Pokemon are in top condition, sir," Nurse Joy informed him.

"Thank you," he responded.

"Are you alright, sir?" She asked him. "You seem kinda pale."

"I was just about to ask you if you knew where a people hospital was," he explained, now feeling a little dizzy. "I, uh…I just need to, uh… I gotta lay down."

And then, he fell to the floor, surprising the nurse and Misato.

"Eevo!" She jumped off the counter and onto the floor where Shinji fell, seeing his head drenched with sweat. "Eee?"

-x-

"…This place is kinda like Tokyo-3, only not as futuristic," said Hikari to the others as they walked down the street, taking in the sights.

"Only a few cities and towns are very modern in their architecture, Class Rep.," went Kensuke to her. "Places like Saffron City in the Kanto Region or Goldenrod City of the Johto Region are close to being more like Tokyo-3…or the original Tokyo because that city was the biggest one in Japan before Second Impact happened."

Toji was about to say something about a movie they could go see when they heard an ambulance drive past them down the street.

"Wasn't that ambulance driving away from where the Pokemon Center is?" He asked instead.

They each looked at one another and decided to head to the Pokemon Center to see if Shinji was alright and if he finished his registration for the conference.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy," Kensuke asked the woman being assisted by her Chansey helpers. "We're here to find a young man with an Eevee. We were supposed to meet him here."

"A young man with an Eevee?" Nurse Joy questioned. "Shinji Ikari?"

"Yes, him," Asuka answered her.

"Something was wrong with him and he just collapsed. He didn't look too well. An ambulance came by and took him to the hospital."

Rei approached her and asked, "Where is the hospital?"

"Eight blocks east of here."

"Thank you."

-x-

"…What do you think is wrong with Shinji?" Antonio asked Misato as they saw the boy collapse and get transported to a hospital for people.

"Maybe he caught a flu or something," she suggested. "He has been there for nearly four years now."

That's when Antonio realized something.

"What if he didn't get vaccinated during the time he's been there?" He suggested.

Even Fuyutsuki thought the same thing now. He knew it was important for people to get vaccine shots every year, and suspected that Shinji, being active in traveling to different regions in that world he was in, likely, and even unintentionally, didn't get vaccinated against any flu viruses over the years, meaning that any antibodies he had from a previous vaccination were useless in protecting him from any newer strains.

On the monitors, observation of the Pokemon world was split between Shinji and the other children that met with him. While Shinji was being tended to by the medical staff of the hospital he was relocated to, the others were on the way to said hospital.

"If they know what's wrong with him, they'll take care of him until he recovers," Fuyutsuki stated, seeing a female nurse inject Shinji with something in his left arm.

"If we hadn't gotten to him when he showed up," a male doctor expressed to his fellow physicians, looking down at Shinji as he was being set up with an intravenous drip after being placed in a room, "he'd been dealing with a whole other problem."

"Does he have anyone?" The nurse asked him.

"I checked his wallet, but all he had was his identification card, which didn't say much about his background. His Pokedex identifies him as Shinji Ikari, a transient resident of Pallet Town in the Kanto Region. When it says 'transient', it means such because he's not really from that place or any other region, for that matter. At least not long enough to have a record. But he put down Pallet Town because it's where he started his career as a Pokemon Trainer."

"If he started there, then he must know of Prof. Oak. He likely knows where this young man is from."

"Doctor!" A male nurse came and got the doctor's attention. "This kid's got visitors. They say they know him."

-x-

"…Hey, he's coming to," Shinji heard someone say.

"Ugh…" He groaned as he opened his eyes, seeing his classmates and fellow pilots. "What happened?"

"You got sick," answered Hikari to him, holding Misato in her lap. "The doctors all say you were afflicted with the flu virus and that you weren't vaccinated against it."

"The flu virus?"

"They say you were lucky," went Asuka to him, looking away from him. "Nearly four years here and not getting vaccinated is gambling with your own health."

"Ignorance isn't bliss," he sighed.

"Eee," went Misato; she felt she should've suspected that her trainer wasn't well, yet she didn't suspect anything odd until after he collapsed.

"What do you mean?" Toji asked him. "You mean, you never thought to get vaccinated?"

"Nobody ever told me I needed to get vaccinated every year. The last time I ever got stuck with a needle was at NERV."

Asuka sighed at how clueless Shinji had been, but then reminded herself that after spending more time as a Pokemon Trainer than as an Evangelion pilot, the young man clearly got lost in one type of life that obviously outdid another type of life where you had to protect all of mankind from creatures out to exterminate them. In addition, she had read his background (or rather, his lack of a background) and found that he lived with a guy his father chose to leave him with, and there was no development there as a result. No development in relationships…or in personal growth, not like there appeared to be with whoever Kensuke explained was this Prof. Oak that served as Shinji's mentor over the years.

"Vaccination shots are something you get once at least every year," she sighed, allowing him the benefit of the doubt because he simply had no clue about this until someone that knew informed him.

"You…were fortunate to have endured this long without any vaccine," went Rei to him.

"Did…they say how long I would be here?" Shinji asked.

"They just want to keep you overnight to make sure you're going to be fine when they let you go," Hikari answered him. "Unfortunately, they don't have lodgings here."

"What about the Pokemon Center? They're required to have lodgings for travelers."

"I'm sure that only applies to Pokemon Trainers, Shinji," said Toji, stating the obvious about themselves. "You're the only one that has Pokemon currently with them and Kensuke left Brute-Chan at home."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, Toji. So long as you're traveling with a Pokemon Trainer or even acting as a temporary keeper of one's Pokemon should they become unable to care for them due to illness or incapacitation, Pokemon Centers have to provide you with lodgings."

"Eevo!" Misato agreed with him.

-x-

"…Something told me that he wasn't going to part with that particular Pokemon just to make sure they got into the Pokemon Center," said Fuyutsuki to Misato and Antonio, seeing Shinji give Kensuke a Poke Ball with the name Kenji on it, since the Eevee nicknamed after the purple-haired woman seemed more attached to the boy than she was to them.

"Well, she's his very first Pokemon, so she has the closest relationship with him," Antonio stated, watching the other children leave the room Shinji was in to head to the Pokemon Center.

"Three days with them with him," Misato uttered, watching Shinji pet his Eevee on her head as she hopped onto the bed in front him. "I hope that they have a good time before they wake up back here."

"I just hope nothing bad happens here while they're there," said Antonio.

Misato agreed with him on that hope; as long as no blackouts or Angels occurred, the interdimensional monitoring and recording could progress without much interference. But the Angels never played on the schedule of any human…and Shinji's schedule was random, ranging from catching and training Pokemon to participating in these competitions where you could gain recognition across the region for winning it. The boy was trying to get back, but he was also living the life of the profession he had.

"…And how many times has Shinji gotten close to incidents that nearly got him iced?" Toji questioned Kensuke as they made it to the Pokemon Center.

"More times than I could count," Kensuke responded. "I mean, he's been electrocuted, burnt, cut, even poisoned at random times by Pokemon, but he recovered fairly quickly after a few days. I've seen him take on Stun Spore and Poison Powder from Bug, Grass and Poison Pokemon. He has a will of gold to go along with his heart and a soul of silver."

"A heart of gold and a soul of silver?" Hikari expressed. "He has faced other people who have been doing this longer than he has, but he has built up his experience to overcome most of them, so I guess that's fair to say."

"If we stay to see this conference he's registered for," went Asuka, "we're bound to see more of what he's done."

"And since this is a Pokemon League tournament that permits the usage of Legendary Pokemon, Shinji's allowed to use the Legendary Pokemon he has caught over time," Kensuke revealed to them.

"Like the one he calls Pyro?" Rei asked him.

"That's right."

"Which ones are his powerhouses?" Toji asked him then.

"Personally, I feel that Guardian, Pyro and Master are his best Pokemon."

"Except that the one he calls Master," Hikari uttered, thinking about it considerably, "it's not really…"

"'He', not 'it'."

"Right. Sorry. Except he's not exactly a Legendary Pokemon. Master's a…"

"That's not entirely true, Hikari," Kensuke stated, having learned with Shinji about the Mewtwo he caught and befriended. "Yes, Master is an enhanced clone of Mew, which is also a Legendary Pokemon, he's accepted as a Legendary Pokemon as a result of having survived for such a long time and because of his relation to Mew. Master is unique, the only one of his kind."

"Master is a Pokemon that…can't be replaced, no matter what?" Rei expressed.

"Whoever's responsible for creating him went to great lengths to make sure he was strongest. Sometimes, somebody that wants powerful Pokemon will settle for just one that they consider to be the best one, and Psychic Pokemon are among the best. All manner of psychic abilities. Telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance, psionic energy manipulation to produce energy beam and wave attacks. And Master has never mentioned any others that were created before or after he was, so he must be the only one that exists. Of course, whether or not Shinji will have him participate in this conference is entirely up to him."

-x-

"…Hmm?" Shinji awoke from a much-needed rest, seeing that it was nighttime outside a window, and seeing something moving quickly out there. "What?"

"Wee?" Misato, awakening from her rest, reacted to Shinji's confusion, seeing him get out of bed. "Eevo?"

Shinji, wearing hospital garments and free of the IV drip, reached into his traveling bag and took out his Pokedex.

"I think I saw a Pokemon, Misato," he explained to her, and left of the room.

The Eevee followed her trainer and they went up to the roof.

"Maybe it was just the remains of vertigo," Shinji suspected, looking around the roof and seeing nothing. "I could've sworn I saw something."

"Eee?"

Clunk. Shinji, having turned to walk away, heard something fall on the ground and turned back to see.

It was one of his unused Ultra Balls, but the strangest thing of it was that Shinji didn't bring any of his balls with him when he left his room.

"Eee?" Misato went, confused by this.

Shinji picked it up and examined it. It was definitely one of his Ultra Balls, but how did it get here?

Suddenly, the trainer felt a strange presence near him, and looked up, seeing something that he hadn't seen before…yet felt he had seen somewhere.

It was some sort of tiny, cat-like creature with a glowing, blue outline on its pinkish form.

"Mew," it chirped, floating around him. "Mew."

"Whoa," Shinji gasped, and then used his Pokedex.

"Mew, the New Species Pokemon," Dexter revealed to him. "Believed to contain the genetic information of all other Pokemon, Mew is one of the most versatile of Pokemon. Suspected to be capable of natural invisibility, Mew only appears to people with the purest of hearts, and is therefore assumed by many to be extinct."

 _Mew? But this is_ _…_ _I must be dreaming or something. This is considered the most powerful of Pokemon to exist._

Mew floated down to Misato and set its feet on the ground.

"Mew," it greeted her.

"Eevo," she greeted back.

-x-

"…If this Palkia hadn't lost consciousness at the last minute, we'd know what Shinji had found on that roof," went Fuyutsuki to Misato as they stepped out of the Giovanni Corporation's building used to house their interdimensional research.

"It reminds you that Palkia's just like us," Misato expressed. "It's capable of exhaustion, needing rest after a while."

"What do you think he saw on the roof?"

"My guess? A Pokemon he hadn't caught before."

"If only Ikari could be proud of his son's success over there."

Misato sighed at this; unless it involved the Eva, there was no getting the guy to say anything or feel anything positive about his son.

"Well, he is trying to find his way back by catching Pokemon, and he now knows he needs to catch some more powerful ones in order to get closer to his goal."

"What might he do with all those Pokemon if he does find his way back?"

"With a lot of lost animal and plant species here, they could help in replenishing some of our natural resources that are dwindling away…if the Giovanni Corporation doesn't get any further in finding other dimensions full of resources that are just there for the taking and not being used by any sentient beings as smart as us."

"I'd probably settle for the palm trees with faces on their coconuts."

"Exeggutor, the Coconut Pokemon. Shinji was fortunate to catch some of those out in the wild without having to evolve any of the Exeggcute clusters he caught. He's uncomfortable with requiring stones or other objects to evolve his Pokemon."

"Not many people are comfortable with change."

-x-

"…Well, that was the first good night of sleep I've had in a hospital meant for Pokemon," said Asuka to the others as they stepped out of the Pokemon Center the next morning.

"I wonder how Shinji's feeling after finally getting the medical aid he needed?" Toji wondered.

"He's probably feeling better," went Hikari.

"There he is," went Rei, pointing down the street, seeing someone running towards them.

It was Shinji, looking better than ever, with Misato beside him.

"Good morning, Ikari-Kun," Rei greeted him as he came to a halt in front of them.

"Good morning, Ayanami, everyone," Shinji responded, catching his breath. "You won't believe what happened last night, and I say this not to boast or brag about anything I've achieved."

"Did you have an epiphany?" Asuka asked him.

"It may as well have been an epiphany, but it will be better if I show it to you first. I just need to contact Prof. Oak and get some of my Pokemon trained."

Shinji then ran inside the Pokemon Center and to a nearby PC to contact Prof. Oak.

Hikari looked down at Misato and asked, "I suppose you were with him when whatever happened last night happened?"

"Eee," she responded in the positive, and was then picked up by the pig-tailed girl.

"…I heard you were down with the flu yesterday when you collapsed," they heard Prof. Oak's voice on the monitor in front of Shinji. "Are you feeling better?"

"I'm feeling fine, Prof. Oak," Shinji responded. "Uh, last night, did you receive any Ultra Balls containing any new Pokemon from me?"

"Now that you mention it, yes, one Ultra Ball from you did come in last night. Do you have any idea how invaluable what you caught is?"

"Except I didn't capture it last night. It chose me. I need to see it again, please."

Shinji then decided to exchange his Gyarados for the recently-caught Pokemon.

"Your friends are in for quite a treat when you show them," Prof. Oak told him as he picked up Rei's Poke Ball whilst Shinji picked up the Ultra Ball from last night.

"I wouldn't believe it myself unless it was with my own eyes and a clearer head," Shinji explained. "Talk again later. Thank you."

-x-

"…There's some doubt that any Angel will show up in the next two days, Ikari," Fuyutsuki told Gendo the next morning in his office, explaining that the children were fine. "They're just on an island in the other dimension temporally with your son as he's preparing for annual competition held in the current region he's in after recovering from the flu virus he wasn't aware that he had."

"Yet, if we have an situation with an Angel that requires the Eva, we're defenseless, and everyone suffers because of the Giovanni Corporation's interference," Gendo retorted.

"Then I'll be where I know I need to be if that ever happens," Fuyutsuki told him as he turned and walked away. "It's only for another two days. What could go wrong in the next forty-eight hours?"

Gendo was displeased…and yet, all he could was wait and see what would happen. And it wasn't just the unnecessary interference caused by the other organization, it was the fact that all the remaining pilots were able to travel subconsciously to the other dimension the Third Child was displaced in and meet with him, even if it was only temporarily. He had his doubts that Rei would remain unchanged by a brief reunion with the Third Child, but there was always the chance that if she came back to this dimension, she would make the decision to go back to see him, just to be reminded that he was still alive and well.

"The second she gets back, she needs to be reminded that we have no time to waste on these foolish hopes that the Third Child will return by the time we need him to do what is necessary," he uttered to himself. "If he ever returns at all."

To be continued…

A/N: Jeez, even when Gendo has an interest in using Pokemon as bio-weapons, he has his doubts that Shinji will return to the Eva dimension. But it's not like he has any pull with the Giovanni Corporation, anyway. What did you think about the surprise Pokemon placed in this chapter? Does it make Shinji even more capable of finding his way home when he gets his chance or what?


	17. Work and Play

Creation began on 02-27-17

Creation ended on 07-28-17

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Work and Play

"…Based on what we were able to get so far when Palkia woke up and the interdimensional monitoring resumed, it looks like young Ikari caught himself another Pokemon last night," Antonio informed Misato through the tablet as she sat at a console on the bridge in Central Dogma. "Or rather, this creature made him catch it."

Viewing the footage, she saw the floating, cat-like creature tap the black and yellow ball Shinji had before becoming a ball of light and getting transported into the ball. It was then picked up by Shinji before disappearing from his possession.

"And judging from Shinji's reaction, this Pokemon was one that wasn't seen very much by the world at large," Misato responded to Antonio, now as close to up to speed on the happenings with Shinji in the Pokemon world. "Probably another extremely-rare and very powerful one."

"That's what my people down here suspect. We're trying to pick up completely where we left off now…so view what you can for now, Ms. Katsuragi." He told her, and the communique between the two ended there.

Misato sighed and tapped onto an icon on the touchscreen and hoped to see what was going on with Shinji and the other teens.

-x-

"Meet my newest Pokemon, everyone," Shinji told his friends, opening his Ultra Ball up and unleashing a small wad of light that solidified into a small, pinkish, cat-like creature.

"Mew," the new Pokemon went, yawning as it stood up in front of them.

"Oh…my…gosh…" Kensuke quietly gasped. "Shinji, is this what I think it is?"

"Yeah, Kensuke," he responded. "This is it."

"What is it?" Hikari asked them, finding this Pokemon cute, but very confusing.

"This is Mew, an extremely-rare Pokemon. Considered to be the most powerful in the entire world." Kensuke explained, having seen a picture of this Pokemon once before.

"The most powerful?" Asuka questioned. "This little thing?"

"Don't let its size deceive you, Asuka," Shinji told her. "Not every Pokemon needs to be massive in order to be strong."

Asuka then recalled the video footage of his battles against other trainers with Pokemon, how they would unleash various types that were of different sizes, and Shinji would either face large opponents with either Misato or another small creature, relying on their petite forms and nimbleness over their strength to win. It wasn't just the type advantage or disadvantage, but the level of the Pokemon that helped to decide the outcome of the battle, and Shinji's were often at high levels because of his style of training for each Pokemon.

"Size doesn't matter," she sighed.

"Yes…and no," Shinji replied. "I mean, it depends on the situation you're in, like a building on fire and you have Water Pokemon with you to aid in putting it out. Large fires, large Pokemon. Small fires, smaller Pokemon. Or…even when I have larger Pokemon, I still have Misato to provide an edge whenever necessary."

"Eevo," Misato added.

Asuka then looked back at Mew, asking if Shinji was going to be using it in the conference with any of his other Pokemon.

"It's possible, but that's a long time from now. For the time being, I'll want to train and decide which ones I'll have and rotate. I don't expect to win this region's Pokemon League."

"But with all the Pokemon you have caught, you're sure to be capable of winning any Pokemon League you participate in," said Hikari and Toji to him, trying to encourage his efforts.

"Thank you, you two."

"Mew," Mew chirped, looking at Rei, who looked at it.

"What type of Pokemon is Mew?" She asked Shinji.

"Um, a Psychic-Type," he answered her. "Common…but among the strongest."

Mew raised its left arm and levitated towards Rei, making contact with her nose.

"Mew," it went, its body glowing the same blue outline that Shinji saw last night. "Mew."

Rei felt like this Pokemon was examining her mind, looking at every memory she had, every experience she ever took part in, every conversation she was ever engaged in with whoever she spoke with. And all she ever saw in this creature's mind were images of being underwater and a mountain shrouded in fog and surrounded by wilderness. While the underwater images felt somewhat saddening, the mountainous image felt somewhat tranquil and was able to make one forget about things that weren't so easy to forget.

 _You're so alone, even when surrounded by others,_ she heard a voice inside her head, and felt that it was coming from Mew. _Be more open to others. Be more than what you are already._

Mew then let go of her nose and then floated over to Asuka and touched her nose.

Asuka felt like this creature was exploring her past that she kept buried for personal reasons, with her being shown underwater scenes and a mountain shrouded in fog. But as much as she wanted to yell at this Pokemon for invading her privacy, she couldn't after being shown a memory that she had forgotten about that was from before the Eva that she cast aside her childhood for. It was her mother, before the accident, sitting in a small garden, in a rocking chair, and she was being cradled by her as a baby. There was no sense of pride, no desire for recognition, not even a random thought about the Eva, just her mother thinking about her.

 _What you pride yourself over never truly mattered to her,_ she heard the same voice that Rei heard in her head. _Why focus on burying the painful memories that hide the ones that carry only peace…when you should look past them and focus only on the happiness?_

 _Because they hurt too much?_ Asuka thought of her suggestion.

 _Not every memory is one filled with pain. The only true pain in any memory…is the pain of trying to forget what caused the memory to become so painful. Anger and vanity doesn't do anything but numb painful memories, not make them any better._

Mew then let go of her nose.

"Mew," it uttered, floating over to Shinji and touched his nose.

"What was that about?" Toji asked.

"Not right now, stooge," Asuka responded, not wanting to discuss what she went through because of this Psychic Pokemon. "Later."

"I saw a mountain covered by fog," said Rei, "and some place underwater."

"Probably Mew's memories."

When Mew removed its arm from Shinji's nose, the trainer looked over at Rei and Asuka, but then gave them both a small smile.

"Uh, I'm used to giving my Pokemon nicknames," he told them. "Can any of you think of an interesting nickname I haven't used so far since I'll be using Mew in the conference?"

-x-

"…Incredible," went Fuyutsuki, being shown the recording of the new Pokemon Shinji had acquired. "It looks like that humanoid cat he caught earlier in his history and time there, only smaller and pink."

"Mewtwo," Misato, showing him the footage. "Though, Shinji calls him Master, as in the master of his own destiny. This one is Mew, believed to be the most powerful Pokemon in the world."

"And Shinji was able to catch this creature?"

"He didn't capture Mew. Mew chose him as its trainer. Apparently, some Pokemon can see something within select people that others can't or something of the sort, and they can choose to either make themselves known to the few they see potential in…or make finding them difficult for them. Difficult…but not impossible."

"Suddenly, he seems almost invincible."

"No, he's faced other trainers, many much stronger than he, and he's only barely managed to defeat them. He's had nearly four years to improve and build up his experience. It's only because of his time and wanderlust there that he's become as close to an experienced veteran of sorts, able to teach others that were just starting out as trainers, even explaining to the others what goes on in that world. But he's still learning new things there himself, from these different regions he has yet to venture out to."

Fuyutsuki then saw the recently-acquired Mew touch the heads of all three Eva pilots.

"Any names you haven't used for your Pokemon yet?" Kensuke asked Shinji, referring to the naming of the new Pokemon.

"Several, Kensuke," he answered him. "I haven't used Dr. Akagi's name, the Sub-Commander's name, Mr. Kaji's name, Misato's family name, not even… I will never nickname any of my Pokemon after that man."

"He must be talking about his father," Misato suspected.

"Why not a gender-neutral name?" Hikari asked him.

"I tried to make sure a nickname is gender-specific," he explained to her. "They have to be meaningful, otherwise, there's really no point in using nicknames at all."

"Well…um, Mew here looks…probably female, based on its coloring."

"You'd be right, Hikari, but not because of the coloring. Many Pokemon, including the common variety and the ones that seem so rare that you would only see them just a few times, look similar, but you can tell them apart by specifics in their looks. Lengths of their horns, shapes of their tail ends, dentition, wingspan, etc. Or…as I've come to learn from most Psychic-Type Pokemon…just letting them into your minds and peering into theirs. This Mew is female, so she deserves a nickname that's often associated with women."

"Mew," the Mew chirped.

-x-

"…This should count as interference on the part of the Giovanni Corporation," Gendo tried to convince SEELE in their latest meeting how the remaining Evangelion pilots were all absent from NERV and subconsciously displaced in another dimension (even though it was temporarily) where the Third Child was currently. "Even if they say only three days is the permitted time they keep the pilots under because of the dangers involved in inducing temporary comas, the fact that they did so without asking NERV places this world in danger against the Angels over a simple, meaningless experiment with interdimensional travel."

"Yet, there has been no sign of danger so far from of the Angels because of this," SEELE 01 expressed. "Should there come a time where there is danger and their interference is a potential hindrance, we shall deal with them. Until then, we shall not interfere with this…minor setback they have taken advantage of due to the temporary incapacitation of the Fourth Child. If they only require them for the remaining two days, since, as you yourself have stated, Ikari, that they started this the previous day, and if by that time no Angels attack, this matter shall be overlooked and ignored."

Gendo couldn't believe this! SEELE was willing to disregard this concern if there was no Angel attack and the pilots were returned after two more days.

"Also," went SEELE 10, "if, by some chance of their success in their attempts, they achieve the feat of bringing the Third Child back to this dimension safely and he is able to resume his duties as the pilot of Unit-01, it is likely that the Giovanni Corporation may have an unexpected use in our plans for the Instrumentality Project, Ikari, as they're the only ones pioneering the research in opening doorways to other worlds."

Gendo was not pleased to hear this at all. Just because there was no danger so far from the Angels, the old men were willing to let this little…predicament be overlooked. Worse was that they were willing to try and find a potential use with this corporation that sought to achieve interdimensional travel.

"Also, we've seen and reviewed the footage taken of this other world the Third Child has been displaced in that it would seem the other pilots have found a way to travel to subconsciously," said SEELE 06 to Gendo. "What we've seen so far from what the Fourth Child has posted onto the Internet has been very…fascinating."

Now Gendo was worried about his own plans.

"Such creatures, like the ones the Third Child has either seen or obtained, would be incredibly useful as biological weapons against potential threats," SEELE 06 continued, explaining the council's interest in Pokemon. "Massive jellyfish, mythical dragons, insects as large as people. Oh, my… And he has acquired so many during the time he has been there."

If SEELE had an interest in Pokemon as similar as his own, then things were going to get difficult if they ever worked out with the Third Child finding a way back to this world.

-x-

"…Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Shinji laughed as he ran with his chosen Pokemon for training around the practice field behind the buildings in town as his friends watched them.

His Eevee, Charizard, Mewtwo, the Aggron he caught to protect his friends, Entei and Mew ran as fast as they could with him, but it was mainly Misato, Asuka, Master and Pyro that were able to keep up with their trainer. The Aggron and Mew were slowed down due to their weight and large feet, respectively, but they tried to keep up.

"It's okay, you two," Shinji told them. "Just do your best. It's not a competition."

"Grr," went the Aggron, having been nicknamed Soko-Yama (which meant "Armored Mountain"), still getting used to his new trainer that took him from his territory.

"Mew," said the New Species Pokemon to the Iron Armor Pokemon, assuring him that they could trust this young man that wasn't from around anyplace associated with this realm of existence. "Mew."

"Grr…"

When Shinji stopped running in order to catch his breath, he called a break for rest, and his Pokemon sat on the ground, though Master used his psychic abilities to raise the ground up beneath him to form a small slab to sit on.

"I was kinda expecting you to make them fight each other, Shinji," said Toji to him as he and the others got up from a bench and approached the trainer and his Pokemon.

"Not yet on that," he responded to him, petting Misato's head. "Exercise first before being pitted against one another to improve your abilities. If one expects to last even five minutes against someone else, they need to be in top shape. Train the body to sharpen the mind."

Toji nodded in the positive from this informative detail. It didn't seem all that complicated to train Pokemon, but then had to accept that each trainer's methods were different for each of their Pokemon.

"You're bound to be a shoo-in for winning the Sinnoh League," he told Shinji.

"I don't get my hopes up when it comes to winning any region's Pokemon League," Shinji iterated. "And it's not always a good thing to win. I mean, sometimes, it is, but if you boast about it, if you let even a single victory go to your head, you become prideful. You start to feel that you're invincible, that there isn't another trainer anywhere in the world that could stand a chance against you. But nobody's all-powerful in the profession. Even the greatest of trainers will find something and someone new that will take them off their cloud of self-indulgence."

-x-

Two days later, when the pilots and students were revived from their induced coma, they each had a degree of sadness on their faces.

"What's wrong with y'all?" Misato asked them.

"We have to wait until we can go back to the Pokemon world just to watch Shinji participate in the Sinnoh League," Toji explained. "I don't want to miss anything."

"But he's still training his Pokemon before the conference begins," said Antonio to them.

"Three days there and it feels a little awful being back here," Kensuke expressed his opinion. "I know the last time, I was out cold here for only two days while I spent three-and-a-half years with Shinji there, but when you're there…everything just feels good."

"Everything was good there," said Rei. "Ikari-Kun has…fit in there."

"How soon until we're allowed to go back?" Asuka asked.

"You need to straighten out for around two-three days," Antonio explained. "But for the time being, we'll still be monitoring and recording footage of him there."

"Of course he'll still be in the Sinnoh Region," said Hikari. "Where else would he go until he finished with their Pokemon League?"

"Unova?" Toji suggested. "Or back to Hoenn, Johto or Kanto to retry the Pokemon Leagues there. It's a completely new world he's living in. I mean, he's really living in it."

Misato couldn't help but admit that the Pokemon world was becoming a place where Shinji really seemed to live, even if he did so by following the standard profession of an animal trainer and participated in these tournament leagues where the strongest, smartest and most adaptable of men and women were crowned for their recognition and skill set with the best of creatures they assembled.

"So, what did he nickname that Mew that was self-caught?" She asked them, as they didn't get any footage of such details.

"He decided to call her Hikari," answered none other than Hikari. "Because of the way she glowed whenever she used her psychic abilities."

"Hikari of Light," added Rei, detailing the powerful Pokemon's full nickname. "Light from the stars at night…light up the darkness."

"If we're lucky, by the time you get back, he'll have just started his first match in the conference," Antonio stated, trying to give the kids a sense of hope in seeing Shinji begin his stint in the Sinnoh League matches.

-x-

It had been a long time since Shinji had ever been put up in a hotel room during his participation in the Pokemon League. In front of him on the tabletop were the five Poke Balls of the six Pokemon he would try to use as much as possible during the conference while rotating them with the rest while Misato would remain as his potential trump card. He had chosen Master, Rei, Asuka, Hikari and Sandabado (which meant "Thunder Bird"), his one-of-a-kind Mewtwo, Shiny Gyarados, handicapped Charizard, newly-christened Mew and shocking Zapdos with his lithe and nimble Eevee.

"Maybe we'll get lucky this time, Misato," he told his Eevee as she laid on the bed away from the table.

"Eee," she responded; she cared about his beliefs of potentially winning the conference, but she really wanted to relax on the bed, as it was so soft.

"Bitter work…but worth the results," he sighed and then got up. "I'm going to go get us all dinner for later, so…do behave yourself, okay?"

"Eevo."

He left out the room and shut the door.

Five minutes later, the Ultra Ball bearing his Mew's nickname jiggled and popped open, releasing the rare and powerful Pokemon into the suite.

"Mew," Hikari went.

"Eevo," Misato responded, still trying to sleep. "Eee."

Hikari flew over to the bed and sat on it.

"Mew," she yawned, and laid back on the pillow.

-x-

"…Rei," went Gendo to the albino girl once she was summoned to his office, "it was brought to my attention that you went to the facility used by the Giovanni Corporation with the Second and Fourth Children and participated in an observation experiment of theirs. Why did you go?"

"Major Katsuragi requested that Pilot Soryu and I, along with Pilot Aida and two of our classmates, Toji Suzuhara and Hikari Horaki, come to the facility after receiving a revelation from the non-Angel creature they called Palkia," she explained, "which further explained on how Ikari-Kun needed to find his way back here."

"Which was?"

"He would need to catch two Pokemon that represented time and space, the latter of which is a Palkia. The former is a Pokemon called Dialga."

"Another powerful Pokemon?"

"Unknown, only that it and Palkia are considered rare."

"And were you able to see the Third Child?"

"Yes, sir."

"And has he made any progress in finding these Pokemon?"

"No, sir. He has come to accept that finding such Pokemon that are viewed as rare is not something one can simply rush into and expect results. In addition, he has entered another Pokemon League to showcase his progress as a Pokemon Trainer and be recognized as one of the best. However, he has acquired a different Pokemon, involuntarily, though, that has been considered by many in their world to be the most powerful."

Now Gendo was beyond displeased.

"How did he involuntarily acquire a powerful Pokemon?" He asked her.

"It…no, she chose him as her trainer," she explained.

He then dismissed her, but ordered that she not go back to the Giovanni Corporation's facility, no matter what the circumstances were.

 _He hasn't caught either creature he needs in order to get back here,_ he thought, sitting at his desk, upset as his son's would-be success in the short amount of time he's been displaced from this world and in another world, _yet, he catches a creature that is considered to be the most powerful in their world? Is he even trying to get back here?_

Unfortunately, however, despite being ordered to stay away from the Giovanni Corporation, Rei felt no need to actually obey that order, which surprised her, mentally and emotionally. She suspected it had something to do with her contact with Shinji's Mew…and her telling the albino to be more than what she was already and to be more open towards others if she was to overcome her sense of loneliness. She had the feeling that the Psychic-Type Pokemon nicknamed after the class representative knew her more intimately than only less than a handful of select individuals at NERV did…and she had even confided in Shinji of this. But all she really knew for certain…was that she wanted to see the boy again.

-x-

"…Hello, how are you doing?" Asuka asked her stepmother over the collect call to Germany; she decided to try Shinji's Mew's advice and deal with her bad memories properly. "You probably haven't heard, but there's a small phenomenon over the Internet. A boy disappeared a few weeks ago and he's currently in another universe."

She decided to let her relatives know about Shinji's current predicament and how his involvement with NERV had resulted in him being in a world full of these…Pocket Monsters (she discovered during the time spent on the last day in the other universe that the universal designation for all these creatures was an abbreviation/amalgamation of two words). Viewing the footage of the Charizard nicknamed after her due to her rather-violent personality and prideful nature that mellowed out during the time spent with Shinji, the redhead found the boy's willingness to put up with her all the more saddening because she was cruel to him when he did absolutely nothing to deserve it. And she was starting to suspect that his Mew confided in him about her past, but he never said anything about it.

"…He's not my boyfriend or anything," she explained to her stepmother. "He just had a mishap one day…and it ended up being good for him. And I'll admit it when I say this: I miss him around here. There, I said it. I miss Shinji."

-x-

"…My father and sisters were pretty upset that I was there for three days unexpectedly," went Hikari to Toji the next day at school; the principal had been informed by the Giovanni Corporation of the whereabouts of their students and had allowed their absence to be overlooked because their request in their experiment, while unexpected, was helping them get closer to their goal. "They almost didn't believe me when I told them that I got to see the Pokemon in person."

"My sister believed everything I told her when I went to see her last night," Toji told her. "I brought a tablet with me to the hospital when Kensuke posted the footage he had with him in his backpack. We kept looking at the videos of him training and participating in the gym battles and Pokemon League, and she likes his Eevee and Gyarados. She wants to know if I'll be going back to see Shinji so I can try and bring her back some form of proof that I was there."

"But…if she believes you were there, why would she need proof that you were there?"

"She wants to see me next to Shinji and one of his Pokemon."

"That would be convincing."

"I'm glad that I was able to go there, even if it was only in mind and not in body. I really want to go back there."

"You're not the only one."

The rest of the students came into the room and soon class began…or a semblance of class began when the teacher began asking about Pokemon. Several students insisted on lectures about the regions and territories where select Pokemon dwelt.

Asuka, Rei, Kensuke, Toji and Hikari all found today to be quite exhilarating.

"Kensuke," went Asuka to the otaku, "you're going to need more footage of where Shinji is…and as soon as possible."

-x-

He stood in the center of the primary stadium that was vacant; sleep eluded him as the anticipation of the upcoming tournament escalated with each passing day, so Shinji would find himself just wandering out every other night when he couldn't stay in bed, always coming to the stadium just to visualize the battles. The moonlight served as a sufficient source of illumination for him, allowing him to feel like he was actually being viewed by thousands of spectators, the referee, fans and admirers, even people he either knew or saw back in his world if they had the means. He turned to his left and pretended that there was a rival trainer across the field from him; for some odd reason, he saw the trainer called Paul, who had participated in the conference the previous year.

" _Shinji Ikari,"_ he thought, pretending that Paul was speaking to him again. _"I've improved since our last battle. I will beat you for certain this time."_

Shinji pretended that he had one of his Poke Balls in his right hand and smiled happily. It was nothing more than friendly competition because the rival trainer had been treating his Pokemon with trust and love, something he hadn't been doing during the time before he met and fought against the trainer Shinji knew as Ash Ketchum and lost to him.

"I just want to be one of the best there is," he told himself, stating of his reason for participating in the Pokemon League, "not the best there is. When I trust my Pokemon to do their best, I give my all in supporting and encouraging them to never back down in any shame or fear. I'm always proud of their success and want to do right by them."

"Eevo!" He heard something nearby, and turned to the rows of seats where the audience would be on his right, seeing his Eevee and Mew, floating over towards him.

"Mew," Hikari chirped, glowing bright blue once more as she used her psychic powers. _She says she's proud of you, Shinji. We all are._

"We?" He questioned.

Pop! Suddenly, his Gyarados, Mewtwo, Charizard and Zapdos appeared around him, a result of psychic power being exercised, each creature looking at him with encouragement and acceptance.

"Do…all of you think we'll do well in this tournament?" He asked them, just wanting their opinion.

"We do," said Master to him, and the rest agreed with him. "You're a good trainer. You bring out our best…and make us feel as though we are among the best."

"Thank you," the boy praised each of them. "We'll give it our all."

"Eevo!" Misato cheered him on.

To be continued…

A/N: Don't know when the next chapter will be, but I want to know what you think of Mew, now nicknamed Hikari after the Class Rep., having some influence in what Asuka and Rei did after returning to the Eva universe. Impressed?


	18. Solace in the Sinnoh Stadium

Creation began on 07-28-17

Creation ended on 09-06-17

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Solace in the Sinnoh Stadium

The more Gendo looked at the posted video footage obtained by the Fourth Child, the more he detested the exploits of the Third Child in the other world. Even just seeing his son acquire the artificial Pokemon known as Mewtwo by simply befriending it, earning its trust (and its power) infuriated him; the boy had amassed such a degree of power by gathering a menagerie of amazing animals…and all he did with it was travel to foreign places to compete in these silly, sanctioned tournaments. Anyone with a brain could see that these animals could enable a person to overthrow governing bodies like SEELE or the UN. Anyone with a brain…and an ideal goal to see become reality.

 _Any measure of such power is completely wasted upon him,_ he thought, examining the footage of Shinji capturing a bird that was likely that world's version of the legendary Phoenix because it was either made of or bathed in flames. _He doesn't have any idea how to change the world._

-x-

Just three more days till the Lily of the Valley Conference began, and Shinji was doing some clothes shopping for himself and his Pokemon. He had hope that his friends would come back and cheer them all on as they did their best in the preliminaries in order to advance to the finals. And yet, for some reason, he found himself purchasing some black slacks, some white, button-up, short-sleeved shirts and a belt; he guessed that after four years of wearing different styles of clothing, he missed the casualness of his school uniform.

 _I don't know what's stranger,_ he thought, going into a private dressing room to change into the similar clothes he purchased. _The fact that I miss the old style…or the fact that I intend to dress like this for the duration of the conference._

Standing in front of the mirror, the eighteen-year-old Pokemon Trainer looked exactly as he had four years ago when he arrived in Tokyo-3, albeit a little taller and more lively than ever before. His hair looked as though he could use a slight trim to keep several strands from obscuring his vision; fortunately, he kept scissors for that purpose. If it weren't for the four-year gap, he was sure that everyone that knew him would claim he hadn't aged in the slightest here.

"Howdy, Shinji Ikari," he spoke to his reflection, putting his hand on the mirror. "You look nice in such a familiar choice of clothes. Just do your best, maintain your faith in your Pokemon…and you can't go wrong on your journey."

-x-

"…So…if he managed to catch another member of your species," went Misato to Palkia, standing in front of the caged dragon, "along with your opposite that represents time, Shinji would be able to return here on his own? But…how would he find another one of you, a member of your species, exactly if you're considered rare?"

"You humans put much stock in the examples of hard work and effort," Palkia told her. "Other times, you express stock in your examples of luck and faith in one's own abilities. You would assume that in most situations one finds themselves in, that the rarer a creature or item is, the less likely they're to be found. That isn't always true. Through other factors beyond the ones you know of, such as creatures merely staying away from people for lifetimes, even hundreds of lifetimes, can make you assume that they're rare and hard to find."

"Yet, Shinji is divided between catching and training Pokemon and competing in Pokemon League tournaments. When he's not traveling around and looking for them, he's facing other people to show his skills and the results of his training style to thousands that view battling as a form of entertainment."

"For centuries, the pursuit of conflict as a form of entertainment and a rite of passage has been woven into your cultures and societies. For Pokemon Trainers, this is merely a rite of passage into a pantheon of men and women that went from regular, overlooked souls that did simple things and found themselves doing things they hadn't done before and got better at them over time…and became people most aspire to follow in the footsteps of. What do you call these people? Warriors? Gladiators? Kings and queens? Deities? Legends?"

"More or less."

"Why don't you try to see the boy?"

"I doubt that I'd be able to get there the same way his classmates had."

"But if you haven't attempted such a possibility…then you don't know for sure. As said, there are factors beyond what you know."

The pilots and classmates would be returning the next day and go back to see how Shinji was doing…and the purple-haired woman would just be watching from a monitor…because she needed to be here in case of an Angel attack.

"Even if I could, my position at NERV is necessary due to the threat of the Angels."

"Yet, the man that threatens the existence of others is a threat also. He who dares to take what one does not deserve to possess is one that will bring ruin to all. You can't protect others that need protection without removing those that will endanger them and promise no such protection."

And the sad thing of it was that Palkia was absolutely right; Gendo was a threat to people, as well, not just the Angels.

-x-

"…Hopefully, too much time hasn't gone by since we last saw Shinji," said Kensuke to the others the next day as they returned to the facility. "It's only my guess that when we get there, the opening ceremony will have commenced and then the preliminaries."

"Your footage of the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn Pokemon League ceremonies have people thinking that they're all similar," went Toji.

"Oh, they don't all use a ceremonial torch with a portion of fire belonging to Moltres."

"Moltres?" Asuka uttered. "That's that firebird, right? A literal Pheonix, just like the one Shinji caught in Hoenn, right?"

"That's right."

"I'll be honest," went Hikari, "but I find it impossible for any bird to be capable of evolving over time into a bird made of flames. I mean, there's gotta be some form of magic to it. Or science, even."

"That's the thing about Pokemon, Hikari. They're not bound by anything we know that can be defined through science. Whatever way they go through evolution is the way they go. Some Pokemon even go through millions of years without ever changing in the slightest. No evolution, no mutation, just like the Relicanth."

"Ikari-Kun captured thirty-seven of those, did he not?" Rei asked.

"Yeah. He needed his Gyarados, among other Water Pokemon, to help him achieve that feat, since swimming is something he hasn't mastered yet."

Stepping into the large chamber where Palkia resided, they were greeted by Misato and Antonio.

"You excited about going back to see Shinji today?" Antonio asked them.

"I am," responded Toji, "though I don't see how our presence there helps with your work here."

"Trust me, your subconscious presence in the Pokemon world helps plenty in the research in interdimensional travel here."

"And I'm to assume that their presence isn't just to ensure a form of relief towards the young man that was displaced in the world I originate from?" Palkia questioned.

"Uh…" Hikari expressed; even though they had seen it and observed the footage of other Pokemon that speak like humans do, it was still a little disturbing to hear Palkia talk to them.

"It's 'cause of the whole communication without the mouth ever moving in sync with the vocalization, isn't it?" Misato asked them.

"It…just doesn't seem possible," Toji explained.

"Try adjusting to having a Psychic Pokemon with you," Kensuke told them, since they've been around a Pokemon of that type. "It always feels like they're talking to you verbally, but their mouths never move in sync with their communication. It's nothing that seems at fault. That's just the way it with how some of them speak."

-x-

It was the seventh time Fuyutsuki noticed that Gendo was examining the posted footage of Shinji's adventures in the Pokemon world and his battles in the Pokemon League…and seeing at least eight photos of select Pokemon Shinji had in his possession, particularly the red Gyarados nicknamed after the First Child on his desk in his office.

"I find it most unusual of you to be taking an interest in your son's life over there," he told him.

"Not the Third Child," Gendo expressed. "These creatures that he has acquired over the past four years there. They have such qualities you don't see in any plants or animals here. Unlimited potential once they're tamed."

Yet, Fuyutsuki was disturbed by the way he said these things about the Pokemon, like he had something else on his mind that didn't fit in any way with how these creatures were used in an individual's profession in their world.

"Pokemon as bodyguards and such?" He suggested to him. "Pokemon become soldiers…or a potential asset for NERV?"

"That's right," Gendo answered him.

"You should give up while you still can, Ikari. Pokemon exploitation as personal armies and living weapons is frowned upon by the general community your son has become involved with. They're seen as either pets, friends or family members, not as some type of commodity or unfeeling accessory like a doll or tablet."

"And I suppose that you believe that their exploitation in these silly tournaments and performance contests is all they're permitted for over there?"

"The people that train them to participate in those tournaments and contests all strive to be among the best that ever lived, to be immortalized for their skills, but they wouldn't sink so low as to force a Pokemon to fight until they're dead and then cast them aside if they become worn out or lame."

"That's their world. Ours is vastly different. Whatever rules they follow there wouldn't apply here."

Fuyutsuki didn't like this…and reminded himself that he had been invited back to the facility the Giovanni Corporation was using to house and research Palkia and interdimensional travel. Professionally, he felt he needed to inform them of what Gendo might've sought to do if he ever obtained any Pokemon for his own use…and personally, he wanted to see how well Shinji fared in the Sinnoh Pokemon League. If the boy got first place, he would most likely be considered the champion of that year and region, one of the best of Pokemon Trainers, if not what some people viewed as the ultimate title in the field of training Pokemon: A Pokemon Master.

 _Still,_ he thought as he turned to vacate the commander's office, _that would be quite an achievement for Shinji. A Pokemon Master. He'd be the very best, above the rest._

-x-

"…Oh, man!" Kensuke gasped as he, Rei, Asuka, Toji and Hikari found themselves in the hallway just outside Shinji's hotel suite, seeing a note stuck to the door. "He went down to the main arena for the opening ceremonies, which is an hour from now!"

"He was probably waiting for us, but couldn't any longer," Toji suggested. "Let's just get to the arena and meet up with him."

Behind Shinji's note was an envelop, which Kensuke opened, revealing five VIP-like passes with their names on them.

"Hey, he was thinking about us and got these in advance," he told them, handing their passes out.

"Lead the way, otaku," went Asuka.

-x-

"…So, they're in time for this opening ceremony?" Fuyutsuki asked Misato after he showed up to observe the recording footage.

"Yeah," she answered him. "They showed up at his hotel suite after they went under, but he wasn't there. He had left to the main arena, but left them passes so they could get in. We haven't seen him yet."

"Probably just wants to make himself presentable," said Antonio to them as he straightened the camera atop the control panel directed at Palkia. "Based on these tournaments, some of the Pokemon Trainers seem to want to look their best, for better or for worse, so that they at least stand out to a degree."

"Somehow, I think it would take a regular miracle for Shinji to stand out in front of all those trainers," Misato expressed.

"Do you care to elaborate?" Fuyutsuki asked her; he decided to inform them of the potential situation with Gendo later.

"Just…wearing something he wouldn't normally wear," she explained.

"Looks like it's starting," Antonio told them.

On the monitors, the main arena was packed with people there to watch, support and (possibly bet on, as well) encourage the trainers that made it all the way to get where they were.

"…And here are the participants of this year's Lily of the Valley Conference!" A female voice shouted to the crowds as the Pokemon Trainers emerged onto the stadium battlefield, a menagerie of ages, races, styles and attitudes, male and female. "What an impressive lot! But which one of them has what it takes to rise above the rest and beat the Elite Four and the current Pokemon League Champion?"

"The Elite Four?" Fuyutsuki spoke.

"I guess you could say that they're among the best of the best in the Pokemon League," Misato stated. "Top-notch Pokemon Trainers in their own right."

One of the monitors showed the subconsciously-displaced teens in the crowd as they looked for Shinji among the trainers.

"Where is he?" They heard Toji say.

"Oh, right there!" Hikari gasped, pointing.

On another monitor, Antonio saw the boy they were looking for, and zoomed in.

"Well," he uttered his belief, "he sort of stands out in that outfit."

"Reminds me of the day I met him in Tokyo-2," Misato stated. "I have to admit, he makes the school uniform look good."

"Almost as though he hasn't changed one bit," Fuyutsuki added.

-x-

"…Eevo!" Misato, perched on her trainer's right shoulder, went, getting Shinji's attention as she pointed towards the crowd on their left side.

Shinji looked over and saw his classmates here.

A man ran in between the two rows of trainers, up the stairs to the arena's torch…and lit it up with the small torch he held up high.

Suddenly, fireworks shot into the air, signifying that the conference had officially begun.

"Let's do our best, Misato," he told her.

"Eee!" She agreed with him.

-x-

"Wow, Shinji, look at you," Toji expressed as they all met up after the opening ceremony ended so that Shinji and the other trainers could begin their screening procedures. "You look unchanged."

"Thank you," he responded.

"I'll admit, the school uniform look does suit you," added Asuka. "Do your best to win this conference, you hear me?"

"Oh, I don't intend to walk away from this until it's over."

"Ikari-Kun?" Rei spoke to Shinji, getting his attention. "Go get 'em."

Shinji bowed his head to her as he responded, "Thank you for your encouragement."

"Um, do you know who you'll be facing first?" Hikari asked.

"Out of two-hundred-fifty-six Pokemon Trainers, including myself? My first screening match will be against a lady named Houki. It'll be a three-on-three battle to move forward to the preliminaries."

"I take it you've taken the time to study each trainer during our absence?" Kensuke asked him.

"Most of them," he corrected. "Houki specializes in Fire and Poison-Type Pokemon."

"Ouch," Asuka uttered.

"Eevo," Misato went.

"We've had our shares of being burned and poisoned over time," Shinji explained. "It will begin on the Rock Field in an hour. My Pokemon are in the current party are in top condition, and we're heading there right now. Shall we?"

-x-

 _"…Just as with the Kanto and Johto Pokemon Leagues, here in the Hoenn Region, the Pokemon League goes on for several days once the opening ceremony closes,"_ Fuyutsuki heard Shinji say in front of the camera as he stood in front of a large, dinosaur-like Pokemon that looked like it could blend in with a forest on his phone. _"The number of Pokemon Trainers competing ranges from two-hundred to two-hundred-fifty-six, just like with the previous leagues, and the process of elimination goes until only one trainer is left. That trainer, whoever they are, will be able to face the Elite Four and the current champion of the region's league and be crowned the new champion should they win."_

" _What about their recognition, Shinji?"_ He heard the Fourth Child ask Shinji.

" _Their recognition as the champion is immortalized in Pokemon League Hall of Fame, where previous champions are revered by the people."_

" _Do you have any hopes for ever winning the Pokemon League and getting into the Hall of Fame yourself one day?"_

Shinji's face became solemn as he seemed to be thinking about the idea.

" _After getting third place in Kanto's and second place in Johto's,"_ he responded, _"I don't really have any aspirations of winning this region's league…but it wouldn't be a bad thing to want to be remembered in the Hall of Fame among other great trainers…so long as you don't let the ideas of fame go to your head."_

" _Impressive answer, Shinji. And what awaits you after this league ends?"_

" _Sinnoh. There's always a new place to go to and new Pokemon to encounter."_

Then, Fuyutsuki looked away from his phone and back to the monitors where Shinji was about to face his first opponent in the screening rounds. So far, all the Sub-Commander could tell from the footage posted on the Internet by the Fourth Child, every trainer participating in these leagues all face one other trainer per round in order to move forward; basically, dividing over two-hundred trainers until only one remained in a survival-of-the-fittest-styled process of elimination. But this would be a three-on-three match between Shinji and the woman he was pitted against.

"Do you think he'll face her with his Eevee?" He asked Misato.

"I doubt it," she answered him. "If what he says is accurate, this woman specializes in Fire and Poison Pokemon. His Eevee is a Normal Pokemon. If anything, Shinji keeps her around because she was his first Pokemon. He'll likely use a Pokemon suited against them."

"It all depends on who goes first," added Antonio, watching as a digital spinner showed up and displayed Shinji and the adult woman's faces in colored backgrounds, green and red, respectively…and the spinner stopped on the woman's color. "Shinji will have the advantage over his opponent by seeing which Pokemon she uses first."

-x-

"I've been hearing some things about you, young man," the woman, well into her thirties, dressed in a red and purple cheongsam with a tattoo of a poison symbol and a fire symbol on her exposed arms, told Shinji as they prepared to battle on the Rock Field. "I've been told that you're quite the unusual trainer. Over one-thousand Pokemon in your possession, a handful of them exceptionally hard to come by. To be honest, some of my friends think that you're strong enough to make it to the Elite Four."

"While it's nice hear a compliment, I won't confirm or deny such a possibility of facing the Elite Four just yet," he responded.

Houki took out a Great Ball and threw it onto her side of the field. It hit the ground and opened up to release the Pokemon held inside in a blinding light. When the light faded, Houki's first choice was revealed to be…a Skarmory!

"A Skarmory?" Shinji questioned. "I was expecting a Fire or Poison Pokemon."

"I decided to change my roster before I faced you," Houki explained. "If you were thinking of defeating me, I think I've bested you already. What do you say to this?"

Shinji took out a Great Ball and expressed, "I must say…I'm looking forward to this first round."

He threw it onto the field…and unleashed his Charizard!

"Rrraurgh!" Asuka growled.

A female referee stepped in front of them and raised her red and green flags.

"Round One, begin!" She shouted.

"Take flight, Skarmory!" Houki commanded, and her Skarmory spread its wings and took to the air.

"Asuka, take flight and use Fire Spin!" Shinji told her, and she spread her wings and took to the air, much faster than the Skarmory had, and spat out a large stream of flame that encircled the Steel Pokemon in an impressive display of strength.

"Skar!" It shrieked, covered in burns and fell to the ground. "Skar…"

"Oh!" Houki gasped. "My Skarmory!"

The audience cheered Shinji at such a move; while some suspected that the Skarmony was a recently-caught Pokemon, others just suspected that Shinji's Charizard was just too powerful since he caught and trained her.

Skarmory tried to get up as Asuka landed back on the ground, but fell down again.

"Skarmory is unable to continue!" The referee announced. "Charizard wins!"

On the scoreboard, Houki's three-Pokemon roster dropped to two as she recalled her Skarmory.

"Incredible, and with only one attack," she stated. "I'll save my best for last. For now, I'll introduce you to my Onix!"

She threw a standard Poke Ball out and unleashed a giant serpent made completely out of rocks.

"Oh, and with the fall of Skarmory comes the rise of Onix!" One of the announcers yelled. What will Shinji do?"

"Oh, that is one, big serpent," went Hikari, never imagining her fortune of seeing an Onix from a distance that wasn't on a screen.

"This might be the shortest battle I've seen Shinji in," said Kensuke, just as Shinji decided to substitute his Charizard.

"Come out, Rei!" Shinji shouted, throwing out a different ball, releasing his Shiny Gyarados.

"Rrrraugh!" Rei, the Gyarados, roared at the smaller serpent.

"Oh, and this has become a battle of serpents!" The announcers cheered. "Houki with her Onix…and Shinji with his Gyarados! Who will win?!"

In the audience, Rei Ayanami saw the giant sea serpent that Shinji nicknamed after her, intrigued by how he had come to possess such a creature that looked rather…vicious if provoked…yet saved his life once by evolving from an over-sized fish that many people stated was very useless. And based on the footage of Shinji explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each type of Pokemon in battles varied between all trainers and their methods, the albino First Child suspected that Shinji would win this round with his Gyarados.

"Begin!" The referee declared.

"Go, Onix! Use Dig!" Houki ordered, and the Rock Snake Pokemon roared as it smashed into the ground, disappearing from sight.

"Okay, Rei, use Surf!" Shinji declared, and the red Gyarados unleashed a large amount of water from her mouth, covering the field in water.

The water then rose up with the Gyarados as she swam around the field.

"Grrraaurgh!" Onix roared as it burst from under the water, flailing in irritation. "Grraugh!"

"Oh, my Onix!" Houki gasped.

The water then drained away from the field, leaving behind the large stalagmites and the ground reduced to mud.

"Oh! And what a move that was on Shinji's part!" The announcers cheered. "Houki thought her Onix could avoid water attacks by going under, only to have Shinji's Gyarados flood the field with water! Not even Rock Pokemon can escape water that will sink into the dirt!"

Then, Houki's Onix fell to the ground, covered in mud.

"Whoa," went Shinji; he hadn't thought Rei's Surf would befall anyone's Onix like this, unless it was just recently caught and trained instead of a veteran companion like his Gyarados was most of the time.

"Onix is unable to continue," the referee revealed to the audience. "Gyarados is the victor!"

The crowd was wild with excitement directed towards Shinji and his Pokemon.

-x-

"Either this trainer is too inexperienced with her Pokemon," went Antonio as he, Fuyutsuki and Misato watched the feed, "or Shinji's Gyarados and Charizard are just too strong."

"Over four years can make anyone that trains Pokemon skilled," said Misato to him.

"He's a good person," Fuyutsuki stated. "He brings out the best in who's with him."

On the screens, the lady Pokemon Trainer recalled the giant serpent of stone and gave Shinji a cold look; the woman had clearly not expected such a move from an eighteen-year-old that only spent less than five years around Pokemon.

"You got quite a pair on you," she told Shinji, holding up a new ball that was green with small, red dots. "I've been at this profession for nearly ten years now, and I didn't expect my first opponent in my third try at this region's Pokemon League to be quite a powerful adversary. I'm looking forward to seeing you try your best against my first Pokemon. It's time to take out the trash!"

She then threw out the ball and it opened in midair, releasing a bright light that took form on the muddy field…and based upon the look on Shinji's face, the Pokemon that appeared was either frightening…or something he hadn't seen before.

"Oh!" Misato gasped, never expecting any Pokemon to resemble something out of an over-sized garbage bag that tore open and took on a life of its own.

"That…is a Pokemon I've never seen before," said Shinji to her. "What is it?"

"This…is my Garbodor," the woman answered him. "From the Unova Region."

"All the more reason to make plans to travel to the Unova Region after my time here in the Sinnoh Region ends," Shinji expressed.

-x-

A Garbodor was a Pokemon that could be found in the Unova Region. And this was the first one Shinji had ever seen before. It was quite a surprise and a treat to see a trainer with a Pokemon he hadn't seen that was from some other place.

"You say that it's your first Pokemon?" He asked Houki, curious.

"Had it ever since it was a little Trubbish," she revealed. "Found it in the basement of my building in Virbank City. We've been together since that day."

"I don't say this to many people I meet, but I have great respect and admiration towards those that value the first Pokemon they had as a Pokemon Trainer. So much so that I guess I have a preference to see the strength shown by the first of Pokemon."

With that, his Eevee jumped off his platform and ran out onto the muddy field; nothing needed to be said between the trainer and his Eevee, as this was to be a battle between two Pokemon that were the first each trainer ever had.

"Why his Eevee?" Hikari asked Kensuke. "Isn't she no match for a Poison Pokemon?"

"It's not a matter of type advantage or disadvantage," the otaku explained to them. "It's a matter of pride. Shinji started to demonstrate admiration for people that try to do their best in matches with their original Pokemon during our time in the Johto Region. Even when it seems impossible, he and Misato still go up against other Pokemon that were their opponents' first ones. They weren't always the traditional standard choices of each region, like a Charmander or a Totodile or a Turtwig is. Sometimes, they're a Poliwag, a Hitmontop, even this Pokemon that Shinji and I have never seen before. Even if Misato can't beat it, Shinji still has Rei and Asuka to keep him in the match and win it."

"Now, this is interesting, folks," one of the announcers stated. "Shinji will be facing Houki's Garbodor with his Eevee. It's a David vs. Goliath round here! Who will prevail?"

"Begin!" The referee yelled, and the third round began.

"Alright, Garbodor, use Toxic Spikes!" Houki commanded, and her Garbodor raised up both its arms and shot out a series of tiny, purple pins and needles all over Shinji's side of the field.

However, Misato was unable by the move.

"This will hinder Shinji when and if he has to switch Pokemon," said Toji.

"Why?" Hikari asked. "That attack didn't look like it did anything."

"It's not meant to harm the Pokemon its user is currently facing," Kensuke explained. "Toxic Spikes covers the field in a layer of poison spikes that will poison the next Pokemon summoned to the field. While Misato is unaffected by the attack, it won't apply to either Shinji's Charizard or Gyarados should they be used to switch her out if she loses."

"So, getting poisoned is a definite, no matter what happens."

"Shinji's still got this," said Asuka. "He just needs to defeat this last Pokemon to move up."

"Use Swift, Misato!" Shinji commanded.

"Eevo!" Misato responded, jumping up into the air and performing an aerial front flip, her tail releasing a series of golden stars at Garbodor.

"Garbo!" Garbodor grunted as the Swift attack hit it, causing some injury, but not much.

"Impressive, but not very effective!" Houki expressed. "Take on a Sludge attack!"

Garbodor aimed its left arm at Misato and shot a stream of purple ooze at her.

Misato tried dodging the attack, but the muddy ground proved difficult to move around on…and was unable to evade a small amount of the poisonous attack on her as it struck her back and got stuck in her fur. Soon enough, she would feel the effects of the poison in her.

"Oh, and now Eevee's covered with sludge!" The female announcer declared. "Someone is going to need a bubble bath after this!"

"Misato, are you alright?" Shinji asked her.

"Eevo!" She responded; even though she was feeling the effects of the poison in her, she wasn't some weak Eevee, anymore. "Eee!"

"Can you keep going?"

He had a Pecha Berry in his left hand that he just dug out of his bag in case she needed; as far as the rules of these legitimate matches went, trainers were permitted to use medical remedies, such as berries, to keep their Pokemon going in a match, but if they fainted from their injuries, it was game over for them until they were treated at the Pokemon Center. From what he learned, reviving a fainted Pokemon in matches was prohibited.

"Eevo!" She declared; she was stronger because of him.

"Okay, use Iron Tail!"

The Eevee leapt up as her tail glowed whitish-silver.

"Garbodor, counter with Body Slam!" Houki ordered her Garbodor.

SLAM! Misato's Iron Tail made contact with Garbodor's body, and the world seemed silent as everyone from the spectators to the trainers were frozen in suspense.

 _Misato, you're among my best friends since I ended up here,_ Shinji thought, hoping that she had injured the Garbodor enough to allow for either Rei or Asuka to finish the job. _You don't have to beat it. You just have to weaken it._

Time then resumed…and Garbodor fell backwards…while Misato fell atop it, looking under the weather from the poison.

"Garb…" Garbodor groaned as it got back up and threw Misato to the ground, causing her to slide back to Shinji's side of the field. "Garbodor!"

"Eee…" She groaned as she got back up, weakened from the loss of energy because of her poisoning.

"Your Eevee's much stronger than most others I've faced in the last four years," Houki told Shinji. "It's funny, though, because you don't see many of them in the wilderness, just urban areas. They're almost considered rare because they're hard to find in the wild and because of their irregular genetics. Where did you get yours?"

"We met a mile away from Pallet Town. I was lost and she was injured. Over four years ago."

"Ten years. That's how long Garbodor and I have been together."

Houki's ten years with her Garbodor against Shinji's four years with his Eevee. But only one would walk away from this the victor.

Shinji then threw the Pecha Berry to Misato so that she could undo her poison status.

The Eevee consumed the berry and her poison status was instantly undone by its special properties.

"Eee!" She went, feeling rejuvenated.

"I doubt your Eevee can beat my Garbodor if she's poisoned again," Houki told Shinji.

"Oh, don't underestimate or overestimate one's abilities until you've faced them," he responded. "Expect nothing but their best. What they can do, not what you want them to do."

"Eevo!" Misato grunted, looking like she had an ace up her paws.

-x-

"…Man, he's really determined to beat her," said Antonio.

On the screens, the boy's Eevee and the woman's Garbodor began dodging and hitting each other, barely able to inflict any degree of injury upon each other. Even when Shinji had the little creature use Iron Tail and Swift, both moves didn't do as much harm as they did earlier; this probably stemmed from being poisoned earlier.

"Go, Shinji!" Misato cheered the boy on as he had the little creature use her Iron Tail move on the garbage-like creature again after enduring another poisonous move called Clear Smog.

There was something that Fuyutsuki started to notice about Shinji that seemed to be barely noticeable. It was probably just due to some measure of excitement, but it looked like the Pokemon Trainer was in poor shape from the way he was breathing. This was something he was able to see with the other trainer, as well. He couldn't put his finger on what it was just yet.

"Is it just me," went Antonio to them, "or does Shinji look like he needs a break?"

"Yeah, he does look like he's in bad shape," Misato realized, "but this doesn't make sense. He hasn't been attacked by any of that woman's Pokemon."

"No, but that Eevee of his has taken a few hits that could cause harm," Fuyutsuki stated.

"Eee…eee…" Shinji's Eevee panted.

"I gotta own up to it, Ms. Houki," they heard Shinji pant. "Your Garbodor is much stronger than I expected it to be. Great respect must always be afforded to starters."

Houki, looking in just as bad shape as Shinji did, responded, "Thank you. I must confess that you're much greater than I had truly anticipated you to be. You must be a blessed trainer."

"Everyone that loves their Pokemon is blessed."

"It looks like the relationship between the trainers and their Pokemon is very deep-seated," said Antonio, suggesting that might've been the reason for Shinji's tiring condition.

"It is," the three and everyone else in the room heard Palkia state. "Most don't understand when they start out, but when you train with Pokemon, you both take the same path to the unknown future in front of you. Your fates are intertwined. Much of what affects your Pokemon reflects upon you. You can't ever forget that they're not something you can disregard as unfeeling creatures. They have lives, just as you do, with ambition, desires, hopes that shouldn't be neglected."

This had to be something that Shinji understood, too. He might've been the one to call the shots with his Pokemon, but he could never forget that they were not his pawns or tools of the trade…but his friends and allies. Whatever affected them would always affect him, as well. When they got hurt…he would get hurt, bound together by their bond.

In many respects, one could compare this relationship to the one barely understood between the Evangelions and pilots…but that would've been disrespectful towards the relationship between Pokemon and their trainers.

"Let's win this, Misato," they heard Shinji say to his Eevee.

"Eevo," the Eevee responded, just as her purple and green scarf fell off her neck.

-x-

"Garbodor, use Body Slam!" Houki ordered.

"Take Down, Misato!" Shinji responded.

The Garbodor jumped up and aimed towards the Eevee, determined to crush her under its heaviness.

Misato charged, forgetting about her scarf, aimed towards the Garbodor's center, putting all her might into what was likely to be her last attack.

Clash! Garbodor stood still, frozen in time with the Eevee that slammed her upper body into its center.

Shinji and Houki both felt like their Pokemon had used up every ounce of their strength in their attacks, but still clung to their determination to stay in the battle. And they both knew they put more faith in their abilities than ever before. The truth in their honesty, the clarity of their convictions and the totality of how far they wanted to go to prove themselves worthy of the Pokemon they caught and trained.

Suddenly…Misato fell backwards onto the mud, struggling to rise back up…while Garbodor fell forward onto the mud, struggling to do the same. Both were panting, almost completely drained of energy, probably unable to continue with another attack, not even to evade.

"Eee…"

"Gar…"

Then…Garbodor fell back down…and didn't get back up again.

"Garbodor is unable to continue!" The referee announced, raising the green flag in his hand. "The winner of this match is Shinji Ikari!"

The audience went wild with excitement over the match as Shinji was declared the victor, just as said trainer ran out onto the muddy field and scooped up his exhausted Eevee.

"He really did well," said Asuka, impressed by his efforts.

"I was on the edge of my seat," added Toji. "Kensuke, did you get this all on tape?"

"I'm still getting it," the otaku expressed.

"Eee," went Misato, exhausted from the battle.

"Congratulations, Misato," said Shinji to her, picking up her scarf. "You, Asuka and Rei did great."

"Eee."

-x-

The Pokemon Center was bustling with activity as the Nurse Joys and their Chansey assistants were tending to all the Pokemon that fought in the matches of that day or getting checked for their upcoming matches.

"Yo, Shinji!" Shinji heard Kensuke as he carried his mending Eevee out of the building, meeting the others. "How are your Pokemon after your match?"

"They're okay, but Misato won't be battling for three days," he revealed, his Eevee sporting a bandaged waist and left hind leg.

"Poor girl," said Hikari expressed, petting Misato's head.

"Eee," she purred.

"But it's all good, though," Shinji stated. "It was an exhilarating battle. Misato can relax and recover for the duration of our time here."

"It seemed like an easy win for you," said Asuka to him.

"Oh, hardly. There are bound to be hundreds of trainers a lot stronger than me."

"Ikari-Kun," went Rei to the trainer. "Congratulations on your match."

It was the first time any of them heard the albino praise Shinji for something like this. It was almost…disturbing as it was spirit-lifting.

"Thank you, Ayanami," he responded. "Is anyone hungry?"

-x-

With the end of the match, Fuyutsuki finally informed Misato and Antonio of his suspicions about what Gendo probably had in mind for any Pokemon he got his hands on.

"…This only enforces what Palkia said about him," said Antonio to them. "I wouldn't trust him with even a Grimer."

"If Shinji manages to get back here, I fear what his father could do if he tried to take the stronger Pokemon he caught," Misato shared with them. "NERV exploiting Pokemon as weapons would just disgrace us even more."

"And it would make Pokemon seem like a violent commodity."

"If Shinji ever finds a way back to this dimension," Fuyutsuki suggested, "and that's a big 'if'."

"So far, only two Pokemon exist in our dimension," Antonio spoke up again, "and NERV has neither one to exploit negatively."

"Palkia here," Misato uttered, pointing to the Spacial Pokemon, "and Kensuke Aida's Machamp."

"I wouldn't mind having a Voltorb if I could have just one Pokemon for myself," Antonio confessed.

"Voltorb? That red and white, ball-shaped one with the angry eyes?"

"That's the one. They're a mystery to me and they generate and absorb electricity."

"Some of the personnel at NERV admire the smaller Pokemon, like Pidgey, Paras, Wooper, or Torchic. I think Pen-Pen fell in love with the sight of the Piplup that Shinji found and caught, though I'm partial to the Slowpoke."

"Why that one?"

"It rarely does anything. You can't tell what it's thinking…if it ever does think."

"Snorlax," Fuyutsuki sighed.

"Those are big and heavy," Misato reminded him. "Why that Pokemon?"

"They're harmless when they're asleep."

"Not to mention that they only wake up to eat," Antonio expressed, "and they can eat just about anything edible to them. Only problem is that they have to consume nearly nine-hundred pounds a day and then go back to sleep."

"And they're among the heaviest of Pokemon known to mankind, weighing close to over a ton."

-x-

"Miss Houki," said Shinji as he and his group saw the woman he defeated earlier at the restaurant they were at, carrying a few bags of food with her. "How are you this evening?"

"I have been singed by an inferno that leaves the venom of defeat to sting at my wounds," Houki explained using her philosophy. "Another year has passed for me…and another year it will take to try and win the Sinnoh League."

Shinji bowed his head to her.

"How are your Pokemon?"

"My Onix and Skarmory got it worse than my Garbodor did, but it's nothing a few days of rest won't mend. Your Eevee?"

On his right shoulder, Misato gave a smile.

"Eee," she uttered.

"I would say that she's similar to your Garbodor. She's tough and will recover in a few days."

"Eh-heh. Well, I guess I should say this to you before I return to my room. Don't quit the league."

Shinji gave her the thumbs up gesture with his left hand before she walked around the group and left.

"So, that Pokemon of hers was from the Unova Region, huh?" Kensuke asked Shinji as they all sat a table by a window and ate their meals.

"Yeah," he answered him. "I guess it makes one wonder, though."

"Wonder what?" Toji asked him.

"Why certain Pokemon are the way they are," he explained. "Appearance-wise, that is. Houki's Garbodor was quite a sight to behold."

"I was expecting it to leave the place smelling awful," Asuka confessed her belief that such a Pokemon would emit a foul odor once unleashed, "but I couldn't smell anything."

"Pokemon like Garbodor cease emitting foul aromas once they befriend certain people that aren't bothered by their presence," Shinji explained from his own experiences. "Grimer, Gloom, Dustox, they all release fumes that indicate a personal woe until those around them accept them for what they are."

"Quite the Pokemon encyclopedic you've become."

"Learn all that you can about Pokemon to understand all that you can about Pokemon."

-x-

"…It looks like his next match will be on a field of water," said Fuyutsuki as the monitors all displayed static as he and everyone else present were trying to readjust the feeds, the last piece of information heard from the boy before the feeds were crippled was that his next match would be in the next day with another trainer.

"It must be like the previous league requirements," suggested Misato. "Rock, Ice, Water and Grass."

"All of which are terrains most Pokémon can be found on, near or in," went Antonio, trying to readjust the signal and picture. "You don't often find a Water Pokémon on a Rock Field."

As the picture cleared up, the three and everyone else present saw the group of young teens walking down the hall to Shinji's hotel suite.

"…So you'll be rotating your Pokémon periodically throughout the duration of the conference?" Hikari asked Shinji as they entered the suite.

"Except for Misato," he explained, setting his Eevee down on the bed. "I'm never parting with her."

"I can't imagine you ever doing so," said Asuka to him as she sat in a chair near the window. "Again, you did good out there today."

"Thanks goes more to my Pokemon than to myself."

"The Ice Field, though," went Toji, reviewing the image of what the field Shinji was to deal with next. "How do you plan on performing on such a terrain in your next match?"

"I can't answer to that for certain. You'll have to wait and see what I'll do. What we'll do."

"He keeps correcting himself to keep from viewing himself as narcissistic," said Antonio to them.

"His Pokemon matter more to him than the conference they're in," Misato expressed.

The picture went fuzzy and then cleared up to show Shinji atop a building roof with Asuka and Rei; it was possible that some time passed before the three were up there.

"What do we have here?" Fuyutsuki wondered.

-x-

Not his own choice, but Shinji did have to keep a promise he made to his Mew, which was talk to both ladies she had confided to him about what she saw in their minds. And all Hikari had told him in his mind was that both girls needed him to talk to them more.

"Well, we're here," Asuka told him. "What do we need to talk about?"

"Hikari, my Mew…told me that you two needed to talk to me more," he explained. "She didn't say much about what happened when she explored your individual pasts. She didn't reveal to me anything that was private, just telling me to talk to you about what's been going on with you both. So…whenever you both wish to talk about yourselves than about myself."

The redhead and bluenette women looked at him before looking at each other, as if deciding who would divulge first.

"What, exactly, did you see when Hikari touched your face?" Asuka asked him.

"The same thing you both saw," he answered, "an underwater environment…and then a mountain surrounded by fog. Then…I saw something I had forgotten about when I was little…and dreaded recalling because of how painful it had been."

"What was so painful for you that you feared recalling?"

"The day my mother left…followed by him abandoning me soon after."

"You mean, died."

"No, left…and, more or less, faked her own death…realistically."

His Mew had shown him the memory as though it were an motion picture, shot perfectly with the greatest sound quality. The memory replayed exactly as his subconscious had made it, even when he wasn't cognitive enough to recall such details. As a small child, he was completely oblivious to what his parents were up to at NERV's predecessor agency, GEHIRN, and had absolutely no understanding of what the Eva was (he wasn't even cognitive enough to perceive the artificial behemoth as anything but "Mommy and Daddy's work") back then. And then…he saw what been the first half of what had scarred his childhood and left him, more or less, maimed for life.

While he didn't hate Hikari for helping him recall this tragic memory that had been suppressed to keep from causing him pain, as Psychic Pokemon, like most other Pokemon, hardly did what they did to harm others, it did result in him reevaluating the question he was asked by Sabrina over four years ago when he was in Saffron City. While he still felt that he needed to go back to his world because of the Angels, he wasn't so sure anything that might've occurred afterwards would change anything. And then, it made any sense of finding a wild Dialga and Palkia to help him cross whatever dimensional boundaries he needed to in order to achieve such a feat even more unlikely to happen any time in the near future for him.

"Your Mew," went Rei to them, "your Hikari of Light…told me that I was alone, even when I'm surrounded by people, and that I should be more open, more than who I am right now."

Asuka sighed and uttered, "She showed me a memory of my mother I had from before the Eva…from before she died. I'll be honest, it was the best memory I have of her."

Shinji confessed that as much as he knew he needed to return to their world, eventually, he wasn't sure how to deal with his parents, whom he felt betrayed by because of the Eva. Even as he slowly balled up his right fist, which shook with pent-up anger that he refused to vent out against others, he was wishing for his next match to happen faster; sometimes, he found himself able to set aside his worries about what went on in the other dimension through Pokemon competitions and contests, losing himself in the time spent facing other trainers.

"…You feel a sense of solace in Pokemon battles during periods of distress?" Rei asked him, making sure that she understood what he meant.

"Battling, training, traveling," he explained. "It's easy to forget about your concerns when you do something else you enjoy with someone with you."

"Like with Misato and the rest?" Asuka asked, referring to his Pokemon.

"Yeah," he answered her.

"I think you should come back to our world…but at your own pace. It's as you yourself stated, you can't rush in order to get the desired results, expecting that they're within easy reach."

Shinji looked at her and nodded in the positive, thankful for her response to the unasked question of returning to the other dimension.

"I wish," went Rei, expressing her honesty towards Shinji, "to see you return, Ikari-Kun. There are people that miss you. Including myself."

Shinji looked at her with an expression of surprise…and smiled.

"Thank you, Ayanami," he praised her.

"That man… The commander…ordered me not to go back to the Giovanni Corporation's facility where they keep the Palkia that is there in our world…but I chose not to obey his order…because I wanted to see you again…and watch you participate in the Pokemon League." Rei revealed to them.

"You actually disobeyed him?" Asuka questioned her, surprised. "Whoa. You… That's impressive. I never thought you'd do something like that."

Deciding to continue being more open, the albino responded, "Thank you."

Then, the redhead looked up…and saw something that caught her eye in the night sky.

"What is that?" She asked, pointing up.

Shinji and Rei looked up and the Pokemon Trainer smiled at the small group of blue, serpentine creatures that flew above the city in the curtain of the night.

"Dragonair," he answered, feeling a calmness in him that rivaled the solace he felt in matches. "Those are Dragonair."

"Are they…rare?" Rei asked.

"Yes…and no. If you find a Dratini, you often find Dragonair…and if you raise one, you'll likely get a Dragonite in the future."

The three continued to look at the night sky as the Dragonair flew away. Then Rei, probably because of the need to continue being more open with herself, held Shinji's right hand. And then Asuka held onto his left hand. It was a quiet…and peaceful moment between the three.

-x-

Gendo was furious when he heard that Rei had gone back to the Giovanni Corporation's testing facility where that Pokemon was in order to return to the other dimension where the Third Child was. He had told her not to go back there…and she disobeyed him. He wasn't even sure when this started, but he suspected that it had to have been sometime after her initial visit; anything that happened to her beyond the scope of his influence was hazardous to his scenario, however much of it could be adjusted or salvaged. If he had no control over Rei's whereabouts, anything could happen to her that would drive her down a deviating route from what he needed her for. If she got killed, it would hinder his efforts to stay in control.

 _Rei, how could you do this to me?_ He wondered, looking at the the most recent posted footage of the Third Child's exploits in the Pokemon world in his office. _How could you turn away from me?_

On his screen, Shinji, being recorded by the Fourth Child, was standing before a flock of angry birds being commanded by a much-larger one that looked like a vulture of sorts with a long neck and beak; the boy had called them the small birds Spearow and the large one Fearow, respectively.

" _That flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto being led by that Pidgeot might've gotten away from you when you came back with a vengeance,"_ his son told the large bird, _"but your bitter rivalry ends with me, Fearow. You can't best anyone with the will to stand up to you and protect others from your fury. You and your flock will belong to me, if that's what it takes. I'm going to catch each and every last of you! Come and face me!"_

He then saw him unleash the red serpent he nicknamed after Rei and watched it unleash a large stream of water at the flock, dousing them heavily, weakening them enough for the boy to throw a large number of balls at them, including the big one. This left Gendo feeling even more resentment towards Shinji, who seemed to command respect just with mere respect, who had all this power at his command…and wasted it without consideration. Oh, how he was disgusted at what he did with his life in this other world…and how he wanted all that the boy possessed.

To be continued…

A/N: Pray that nothing bad happens to the teens, including Rei and Asuka.


	19. Red and Blue, Black and White

Creation began on 09-06-17

Creation ended on 10-15-17

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Red and Blue, Black and White

A/N: We might find lines being crossed.

Thud! The male trainer's Glaceon fell hard from the impact of Shinji's Gyarados' Hydro Pump, sending it slamming against a stalagmite of ice.

"Glace…" It struggled to get back, but was too injured to press on against such a strong combatant, and fell back down.

"Glaceon in unable to battle," the male referee declared. "The victor is Shinji Ikari!"

Shinji, having defeated his second opponent in the conference on the Ice Field, looked towards his friends in the audience as they rooted for him and his Pokemon. Then, he looked back at Rei, who, along with Pyro and Soko-Yama, won their second match by defeating a Kabutops, a Wailmer and a Glaceon that were chosen by his adversary, and bowed his head to the red sea serpent.

"Eee!" His Eevee cheered him.

-x-

"…So she went back to their facility and participated in the dimensional test that allows her and the other children to venture subconsciously into the other world," said Maya to Ritsuko in the Eva cages, "it's not unheard of for people to do things that they're told not to."

"But Rei was ordered not to go back there by Commander Ikari," Ritsuko explained, standing in front of Unit-02. "He had questioned why she went there to begin with, and she answered that Major Katsuragi requested her presence and those of Shinji's other classmates, about how that dragon had informed the G.C. that time and space were a requirement of one another."

Maya thought about this revelation and responded, "It's a black and white situation, Sempai. Either relay such information to someone that can use it later on, if you're able to get to them, or don't. The only shades of gray in situations like that…are what could happen later on. But still, it's quite surprising that Rei and Asuka were able to get to where Shinji has ended up. And it's likely that the Aida boy will try to obtain new footage from the Pokémon world and post it online. It gives the G.C. more credibility and makes Shinji more popular…and when you think about it, that Eevee of his that is nicknamed after Major Katsuragi is very cute."

Somehow, Ritsuko felt she wasn't going to even consider Gendo was going to win any argument over his son or Rei, regardless of how undesired the current situation had become from his point of view. And even she couldn't see any potential outcome for NERV, beyond simply facing the Angels, which wouldn't earn them any points for favoritism or popularity. No, if anything, the only real worth of anything being done right now was the interdimensional research that Giovanni was performing with the dragon. And the more she thought about it, the more she thought about whether or not her current profession had been the right path for her to take.

"Maya, how soon will it be before the pilots return from their sojourn with Shinji?" She asked.

"It should be another day," the young woman answered.

"Maybe we should go over and try and see how they're managing."

-x-

"…I didn't know you wash your larger Pokémon," went Hikari as she saw Shinji, Kensuke and Toji scrubbing the Shiny Gyarados' body with sponges and brooms. "Is it time-consuming?"

Shinji, who was using a broom to scrub Rei's crest, answered, "Yeah, it is. But even Pokémon as large as a Gyarados deserve to look their best in front of others. And I never could bathe Rei when she was a Magikarp. It wasn't really anyone's fault. There wasn't any good soap that could be used for Magikarp, something to do with a degree of sensitivity."

"Eevo!" Hikari looked over to the side of the building where some other cleaning equipment was and saw Misato, holding a hose in her mouth.

"And it's not all that time-consuming if it's about bonding more with your Pokémon," added Toji, using a pair of sponges to clean Rei's tail fin. "It's okay for you to come over, Class Rep. She knows you're not going to bother her."

Hikari slowly came over and stood in front of the red Gyarados. It was unbelievable to be this close to such a large animal and still be unharmed. Slowly, she raised her left hand to her closed mouth and petted her right whisker.

Rei's eyes glossed as she smiled at the girl.

"She likes you," Shinji expressed, sliding down Rei's side and getting the hose from Misato. "Would you care to spray her?"

As the pigtailed girl partook on the opportunity to spray water on the red sea serpent, the First and Second Children were wandering around the city, looking at the Pokemon that trainers currently had outside their Poke Balls.

While Rei was admiring a woman's Gardevoir and Leafeon, Asuka was looking at a man's Golem and Garchomp. Both girls had to admit that the Pokemon were unusual in their appearance, but were amazing to fascinate over; they didn't know how many people before them thought of questioning how a Golem seemed to exhibit reptilian features or how an Eevee could evolve into a creature that was a living plant, right down to the cellular structure.

-x-

"They seem to be having fun," said Palkia to the adults in the chamber, watching the monitors.

"After watching a match on the ice, with degree of fire," expressed Antonio, "they should enjoy themselves outside of the arena."

"Whatever helps them to pass the time," added Fuyutsuki; he was pondering how much Shinji knew now about what his parents had done due to the psychic aid of his Mew.

Antonio looked at his watch and sighed.

"We wake them up in another five hours," he revealed.

"Humans can only be made to sleep for so long in a controlled state of rest," uttered Palkia.

"It's not safe to have them do so for longer than what is medically permitted," went Misato, also wondering what was going through Shinji's mind as he washed his Gyarados.

-x-

"If the Giovanni Corporation ever succeeds in achieving interdimensional travel and opens a doorway here," Hikari told Shinji and the others back in the trainer's hotel suite, eating lunch, "I want to come here and be one of those Pokemon Coordinators."

"I'd probably settle for being a Pokemon photographer," added Toji, "like that guy you met during your time in Hoenn, Shinji."

"Todd Snap," Shinji stated the identity of the professional photographer. "You have to carry a camera around and take good shots of Pokemon. What about you, Asuka? Ayanami?"

Asuka thought about it, but couldn't decide on which Pokemon profession would have been good to follow if she chose to go down that route. Each profession seemed promising and full of excitement. She couldn't decide just now.

"It is hard to choose which path to take," said Rei to them. "Each one is a good choice, but there is no telling how things could transpire."

"But it is better to not know and try your best than to know and not try at all," Shinji declared; ever since he became a Pokemon Trainer, his journeys around four regions have all been wracked with a measure of failures that he had to learn from, but as he learned from these experiences, each time he tried to overcome adversity was just another step on the stairs to greater things that awaited everyone on the journey. "Stand tall, and if you get knocked down, just get up again."

"Uh, I think we're at the end of our sojourn here," said Kensuke sighed, holding up his right hand, which was becoming see-through. "I hate this. It feels like we're ditching you, Shinji."

Toji and Asuka looked at their hands and saw them becoming see-through, as well.

"You're not ditching me," Shinji responded, trying to keep from feeling depressed about their disappearing from his sight. "Until we meet again."

"And we will meet again," Rei told him as her head was becoming see-through. "Best of luck to you in your next match, Shinji."

Then, they were all gone from his suite, leaving the trainer alone with just his Eevee on his lap.

"Good friends, huh, Misato?" He asked her.

"Eee," she responded.

The only minor issue he had now was the fact that they unintentionally left their dishes for him to clean, though he was going to do them, anyway.

-x-

"I hate this feeling," said Asuka as she woke up and got off the cot she was on, looking at the empty IV bag that fed her body the necessary nutrients to keep it active.

"I just grin and bear it," went Kensuke as he got up. "But I know what you mean. I need a burger."

The door to the room they were using opened up and Misato came in.

"They don't do well with boxed lunches when eating," she explained. "Can any of you stand takeout?"

"I'll try anything so long as there's vegetarian in it," answered Rei.

"Totally, Ms. Ayanami," said Antonio, appearing behind Misato, holding a small stack of discs. "Most of the new footage from the Pokemon world for you to post onto the Internet."

"Thank you, Mr. Giovanni," Kensuke praised.

-x-

Due to the unexpected attention Shinji's dimensional displacement in the Pokemon world was getting, Ryoji Kaji had managed to get more information from the MAGI than what he thought he could've gotten before the Twelfth Angel incident went straight to Hell for NERV when they ended up losing one of the children. He guessed that with all the attention Shinji was unknowingly obtaining through his displaced adventures in another universe, the security of the base had been limited. This permitted him to find out from the trio of supercomputers through a backup cluster of computer terminals in a secret room what really caused the conditions for Second Impact to occur, and it was beyond what he initially believed to be within the realm of possibility.

 _And anyone that did know about this were either silenced or dropped off the face of the Earth,_ he realized, copying the data from the MAGI to the USB drive on his portable terminal.

Suddenly, the white walls around him turned red.

"They can't be onto me already," he uttered, closing his terminal and grabbing his gun. "No, wait. It must be something else."

Then, the alarms went off, indicating an emergency of the highest sort.

"Here we go again."

-x-

It was an Angel, and based on the look of it, a very mighty one.

"So, this is what NERV deals with on a regular basis?" Antonio questions while looking at a monitor that connected to a security camera outside the building, showing the large creature that was approaching the city. "They were better off calling it a kaiju like they do in the movies."

The personnel were gathering the data and making sure they backed up everything before going to their underground shelter.

"And these people that entrust your future survival to the friends of the boy who is displaced in my world are the ones at war with these creatures?" Palkia asked Antonio; the Spatial Pokemon was also looking at the Angel as it approached the city. "There is a chance they won't be able to deal with this creature that is most likely violent."

"That is the situation NERV has been dealt with, Palkia," Antonio told it.

"My concern is not the organization called NERV. My concern is the boy's friends that will be going up against this creature. If they can't overcome it, who will tell him that they're unable to see him again because of factors beyond their ability to comprehend?"

"Well, what do you propose, then? We're just in the research on interdimensional travel, not fighting giant monsters Hell-bent on exterminating humankind."

It looked as though the pearl-like dragon leered at the man before answering, "Let me help them overcome this creature. I don't have the power to return to my world, but I have the power to fight against an adversary."

"But if you get killed, with your existence goes our chances of cracking the goal. How can we be sure you won't try to flee?"

"If I wanted to flee, I would've done so the moment I saw the boy's father…or even when the sedatives you used on me wore off. I'm much smarter than you think. And there's no place to flee. Now, I can open rifts between here and wherever else is accessible elsewhere in this world, but there is no way to depart this dimension. And I confess that your organization's goal to find ways to access other worlds, untouched by civilizations, with raw resources and a way to bring back displaced individuals…has intrigued me…and I want to see how far you're willing to go to achieve that goal that could benefit your world."

-x-

The Angel destroyed seventeen layers of the twenty-two layers of protective armor keeping it out of the Geo-Front, forcing NERV to set up their defense in front of the base, as there was no time to face it above in the city.

Misato set up the Evas with Unit-02 as the first line of defense, Unit-01 as the second line, and Unit-04 as the last line, since Kensuke hadn't been experienced enough with the Eva.

"Major Katsuragi!" Maya gasped. "Unit-01 isn't synchronizing with the First Child!"

Within the Entry Plug of Unit-01, Rei had to cover her mouth in disgust as she couldn't sync up with the purple Eva.

"It's no good," she groaned.

"Ikari," went Fuyutsuki to Gendo.

"I know," he uttered under his folded hands. _Is the Eva trying to refuse me?_

"What's the status of Unit-00?" Misato asked Ritsuko.

"It can be ready within two minutes," she answered; even though the blue behemoth had been rendered obsolete, they still had it.

"Do it," they heard Rei say to them. _If we don't deal with this Angel_ _…_ _we won't be able to see Shinji later on._

Meanwhile, just outside the base, Asuka held up her rifle as the Angel entered the Geo-Front.

 _Okay, Asuka, if you beat this Angel, everyone will have other things to worry about,_ she thought, opening fire upon the Angel as it touched down on the ground.

The bullets hit the AT-Field of the Angel, but barely managed to inflict any damage to the body.

-x-

Even though his next match was on the Water Field in another hour, Shinji had a feeling of woe. It was like something big was happening somewhere else…and his friends were involved.

Ping! One of his Poke Balls popped open and released Master into the hotel room with him and Misato.

"You're worried about your friends from your world," Master told him.

Shinji sighed as he stood by the patio and looked at the Genetic Pokemon.

"I think I'm pretty obvious, Master," he responded.

"Eee," went Misato to Master. "Eevo."

"What did she say?" Shinji asked.

"That you worry about every one of us you know," he translated for the Evolution Pokemon.

"For the last two hours, I've gotten this bad feeling that something big just happened back in my world," he explained to them. "Only I don't know what it is…or was. There is the whole time and space thing that has been going on. Not a whole lot of time has gone by there like it has here. Four years here, while maybe a month or two there since I went missing in action."

"If you have a strong will to go with a strong heart and soul, you can reach out to those from afar."

Shinji nodded in the positive, but had some doubt that he could reach out to anyone back in his world, even though he had people he cared about still there, that he couldn't help but feel he needed to protect from the Angels…even though he didn't want anything to do with the Eva, anymore.

"On your own, perhaps," Master stated, sitting on the bed beside Misato, "but with the aid of those with psychic awareness of the cosmos, you can reach beyond your current setting."

Then, as if to prove a point, Master used his telepathy on Shinji and Misato; even though he was already very powerful before they met, his time with Shinji made Master all the more stronger.

Shinji felt some measure of calm, but his heart still beat with woe as he felt himself having an out-of-body experience because of Master. He saw the Earth they were on, the sea of space that existed, the sun that shone brightly in the darkness…and could see further than that.

 _My God,_ he thought, looking around the vastness of space.

 _Over there,_ he heard a female voice say, and looked to his right, seeing his Eevee floating beside him; since she was female, he had to deduce that she was the one that spoke.

In front of them was another blue sphere that looked like Earth, but with a large spot on it that looked like a red blister or scar. This, in and of itself, left Shinji deducing that this was the world he came from, a scarred world he was trying to get back to by catching Pokemon.

 _Pokemon in my world could really help for the environment,_ he thought, descending towards the planet. _Oh, no!_

He flew down to the area that was Tokyo-3, Japan, seeing Unit-02 get its arms severed by an Angel he hadn't seen before, with a pair of limbs that resembled toilet paper.

 _Asuka!_ Shinji screamed.

-x-

Despite the available weapons to handle this Angel and the eroding of its AT-Field, Asuka couldn't bring down this Angel on her own. The damned thing was just too tough. And now, she just had both her Eva's arms chopped off by its toilet paper-like limbs.

"Dammit! Damn you!" She screamed, charging towards the Angel.

"Asuka, no!" Misato gasped.

 _Asuka, get down!_ She heard Shinji's voice, and then just lost her footing and fell down, dodging the Angel's retaliation attack.

Then she felt her nerve connections cease with the Eva, allowing her a breath of relief as the phantom pain in her shoulders was undone.

 _Did I just hear Shinji?_ She wondered.

-x-

Rei, piloting Unit-00, came out of the base, armed with an N² bomb, the first of a new batch after the loss of the ones used against the Twelfth Angel, and charged towards the Angel.

 _What is Ayanami doing?_ Shinji wondered, seeing her Eva running. _No, Ayanami, don't!_

Suddenly, the blue Eva stopped and threw the N² bomb towards the Angel; the bomb was armed and Unit-00's AT-Field was spread.

BOOM! It detonated, causing a contained explosion underground.

The ground shook before the blinding light of the explosion faded, revealing the Angel only appeared singed, barely injured, not even its exposed core worse for ware.

SLASH! The Angel used its toilet paper-like limbs to sever Unit-00's arms from its body, knocking it down and moving on.

-x-

"Unit-00 is damaged!" Maya yelled as another attempt to activate Unit-01 was being implemented under Commander Ikari's orders.

Despite Ritsuko's warnings that it was still being worked on and hasn't been tested, Gendo demanded that the Dummy System be implemented in Unit-01; he had absolutely no interest in anything short of the purple Eva being deployed against the Angel.

"The Dummy Plug has been inserted in Unit-01. Beginning activation." Maya informed Ritsuko and Gendo, typing in the codes needed to activate the autopilot system.

All the screens went red with error.

"The Eva…has rejected the Dummy System," Ritsuko revealed.

"This can't be," went Misato. "Both Rei and the Dummy System?"

"Unit-01…won't accept either?" Hyuga questioned.

Gendo couldn't believe this. If Unit-01 refused to activate, NERV's last line of defense was Unit-04.

"Uh, what is that?" Shigeru questioned, pointing to a monitor showing the outside of the base, displaying a glowing circle in the air.

Suddenly, a large, draconic creature flew out of it.

"Palkia?" Misato uttered.

"The same one in the custody of the Giovanni Corporation?" Ritsuko asked.

"I don't know of any others."

-x-

Palkia flew from the spatial rip it made and flew towards the Angel, opened its mouth, and fired a ball of energy towards it.

BLAST! It struck the Angel in the head, but barely did any extensive harm.

The Angel tried to blast Palkia, but the Spatial Pokemon summoned another rip in space and the energy blast disappeared from sight.

BLAST! The Angel felt its own attack struck it from behind!

-x-

"…You let Palkia out of confinement?" Misato asked Antonio over the phone as all of NERV watched the dragon fight the Angel, disappearing through a rip in space and appearing out of another rip in front of its core, spitting fire on it.

"Palkia was very persuasive," Antonio defended, "and it wanted to help."

"Much appreciated, but what chance does a Legendary Pokemon stand against an Angel?"

"If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't be concerned about its return."

"We're getting an open channel link from the Fourth Child," went Maya, opening the channel to reveal Kensuke's face on the screen.

"Are we able to communicate with Palkia, the Dragon Pokemon?" He asked them.

"Through the loudspeakers, perhaps," went Ritsuko, "but why would we have to speak with it?"

"Palkia, like any other Pokemon, is good with one thing that people as a whole need to demonstrate more often when in situations: Cooperation."

"Cooperation? NERV working in tandem with Palkia?" Gendo questioned.

"Unless, you have an alternative solution, how else do we deal with the Angel?" Kensuke retorted.

"What is your strategy, Kensuke?" Misato asked him.

"See if Palkia can create a rip in space big enough to consume half the Angel, then another rip to consume the rip it's in," he explained.

"A spatial rip consuming another spatial rip?" Ritsuko thought of that strategy. "I think I see where you're going with this, Aida."

"I think I can see, too," went Antonio's voice through Misato's cell phone.

-x-

Palkia flew out of another rip in space, avoiding the Angel's razor-sharp tendrils while closing the rip, inevitably causing damage to the Angel's paper-like limbs.

"Grrrrr!" The Angel growled, examining its shredded appendages.

"NERV to Palkia!" The Spatial Pokemon heard a male voice over loudspeakers.

"I recognize your voice, Mr. Aida," the dragon responded.

"Uh, thank you. How good are you at opening up those spatial rips of yours?"

"Only to and from wherever is possible within this dimension."

"And can you make them bigger?"

"As big as I need them to be."

"Then there may be a way to deal with this Angel before it can outdo us."

"I'm listening."

-x-

Shinji couldn't believe the power demonstrated by this Palkia as it fought the Angel. It was amazing, a Pokemon facing an Angel to defend mankind from certain destruction.

 _What are they doing?_ He wondered.

 _Cooperating,_ he heard Master's voice.

 _Palkia and my friends?_

 _Yes. You call it_ _…_ _teamwork._

 _Hmm. Teamwork raises the chances of a potential success._

Palkia flew into another spatial rip and avoided the Angel's energy attack. When another rip opened and the dragon flew out, the rip expanded until it was larger than the Angel was.

Shinji, Misato and Master could see the other side of the rip as it started to lower down onto the Angel. It looked like a circular cut-out of a galaxy or nebula.

 _Incredible,_ thought the Pokemon Trainer and his Eevee.

-x-

"…Okay, now you need to create another rip and send the one that's half-enveloped the Angel into it," Kensuke instructed Palkia.

"Understood," Palkia responded, creating another rip in space, one much larger than the last one.

The rip lowered sideways onto the other rip, causing a phenomenon that looked like an instability! It started to change its outer shape from circular to spiky, still resembling a galaxy or nebula.

"What's going on?" Shigeru questioned.

"The larger spatial rip is forcing the smaller one with the Angel to collapse in upon itself," Ritsuko realized, never believing something of this sort was possible.

"Like a serpent devouring its own tail," went Hyuga in realization.

Because one rip in space was sucking in another rip that was sucking in the Angel, it was creating a collapsing instability that was going to be difficult for the Angel to contend with. Even if it could escape the smaller rip, there was zero chance of it being able to escape the larger one.

But Kensuke suspected that something much bigger than the two rips would keep the Angel in state of eternal imprisonment if not kill it outright. Both rips were meant to connect to one another, but constantly warping the Angel, unable to break free as long as it kept going through the rips.

As the larger rip closed and vanished, Palkia landed on the ground and expressed, "Here, there, everywhere and nowhere. Never in one place for too long, never in one place long enough to cause further harm to anyone."

-x-

Maya checked the readings of the Angel's signature and couldn't get more than two seconds each time she did so.

Hyuga and Shigeru found the same result when they tried to trace the Angel, as well.

"It only gets noticed for less than three seconds," Hyuga explained, "maybe just one-and-a-half-seconds, but it's still in the two rips that crashed into each other. The Angel's trapped in a state of purgatory until who-knows-when."

"Right in our own backyard," added Shigeru.

"Nice thinking, Kensuke," said Misato to the Fourth Child.

"As Shinji states to himself to keep from becoming narcissistic," the otaku responded, "it was a team effort that got us all out of the situation we were in."

Most of the personnel could agree with that, since while it might've been a human that thought of the plan to deal with the Angel, it was a Pokemon, not an Eva, that carried out the effort in making sure they all survived. But Gendo, who didn't agree with this at all because nothing went according to his plan, felt outdone by a creature he couldn't control, that didn't trust him to preserve the race of human beings one bit.

"NERV thanks you for your aid, Palkia," Misato told the Pokemon.

On the screens, Palkia nodded its head and responded, "You should consider what we spoke of the next time I see you, Ms. Katsuragi."

Then, it took flight into the air, through another rip, vacating the Geo-Front.

-x-

When they were able to eject their Entry Plugs, Rei and Asuka vacated their Evas and stood on the ground, surveying the damage that had been caused and mitigated by their efforts.

"I don't know what might've happened had Shinji been here instead of Palkia," Asuka confessed.

"We…should count our blessings that Palkia was here and helped us," Rei stated; even she couldn't believe that she spoke those words. "We're still here. We still live…to see another day."

"Maybe…you should train Ghost-Type Pokemon."

"Whatever works…you hothead."

Looking up at the ceiling of the base, Asuka thought that, for just an instant, she saw Shinji, his Eevee and Mewtwo hovering in the air before disappearing.

"Hey, did you see that?" She asked Rei.

"See what?" Rei questioned. "I don't see anything."

"For a moment, I thought I saw Shinji watching us."

"If that's what you saw, it must've been for real."

-x-

Coming to on the floor, Shinji found himself back in his hotel suite, finding that only eight minutes had past.

"That was a close call for them," he told the reviving Misato and Master.

"Eee," his Eevee responded.

"They were most fortunate that one of us was able to help them," said the Mewtwo.

"Thanks, Master," Shinji praised.

-x-

"…Even though we didn't defeat the Angel as we initially intended," said Fuyutsuki to Gendo in his office, "but even this means to defeat such an enemy is better than nothing, Ikari."

"This only adds more to demean the agency," Gendo insisted on such a possibility. "NERV had to rely…on a creature we have no understanding of."

But Fuyutsuki was willing to accept that Palkia was their silver lining of sorts in a terrible situation where any of the children could have been killed because their defense measures were lacking and their only weapons were mediocre copies of the First Angels. Right now, it didn't matter to the elder that a dragon with the ability to create rips in space saved them by causing an unending, inescapable loop for the Angel. What mattered was that they had survived and could move on.

"Then this won't matter, either," he told Gendo. "An hour after the battle ended, the children left the base back to the Giovanni Corporation's testing facility with Major Katsuragi. The Fourth, Second and First Children."

Gendo looked at him like a line had been crossed.

"The First Child was ordered to stay away from them," he told him. "And I thought they couldn't go back there more than three days at a time."

"I asked her why," Fuyutsuki defended the albino girl's actions, "and she answered that she feels better whenever she sees your son."

"So, how do you intend to explain this fiasco to the Committee?" Kaji, who was also present in the office, asked, referring to the fact that NERV hadn't exactly killed the latest Angel, but left it in an inescapable prison of sorts through the aid of a Pokemon. "I don't suppose that simply stating the Giovanni Corporation allowed their prized specimen to show up and assist NERV is an option?"

"NERV had absolutely no control over the situation," Gendo declared. "We were unprepared and external factors existed that hindered the proper defensive measures that were taken. This was all nothing more than a series of unfortunate accidents."

It was basically his way of saying that there was no way he would give credit to those that deserved it for taking risks on the behalf of others without asking for much of anything in return.

 _For someone that sees Pokemon as a potential resource for weapons applications,_ thought Fuyutsuki, _you don't have the heart of one that gives them any respect or credit when they have either earned it or deserve it. If you can't treat them the way they deserve to be treated, you will never understand them the way your son and his friends do._

-x-

He was getting nervous about his next match. It wasn't a fear of losing, however small that seemed from happening. No, it was just the sense of unpredictability that existed within every battle. With each trainer encountered, there came more layers of uncertainty over enduring and prevailing. This…and because Shinji felt like he was forgetting something, even though he made sure that he had taken care of everything he was supposed to before he left the hotel for his match.

"Eevo," said Misato to him as he stood in the hallway just outside the Water Field, hidden from the spectators. "Eee."

"You're saying I shouldn't worry so much about whatever's going to happen?" He asked her.

"Eee," she nodded.

"I can't help being a nervous wreck right now. I feel like I'm forgetting something…only I don't know what it is."

Then, despite it seeming impossible, Shinji felt a hand reach out from the wall behind him and grab his left shoulder, startling him.

"Aaahh!" He gasped, pulling away and turning around to face whoever it was.

A hand, covered in a red sleeve, leading up to a woman's upper body, clasped in a red coat with a logo he hadn't seen in a long time, over a dark, tight dress that failed to hide the pair of flawless legs…or the head of familiar, purple hair he hadn't seen in years.

 _It can't be,_ he thought, staring in disbelief. "Misato?"

The woman, his Eevee's namesake, stood in front of them, a little disoriented, but as solid as the previous visitors were.

"Hey…Shinji," she greeted them.

"Are you…really here?" He asked her.

"Yeah. Wherever 'here' is."

"The arena holding the Water Field for the Lily of the Valley Conference. On Lily of the Valley Island of the Sinnoh Region. I can't believe you're really here. I thought that only Kensuke and the others could travel back and forth between here and there subconsciously."

"That's what was initially thought, too…until the Palkia over there suggested that I try to come here myself. I almost thought I couldn't."

Shinji smiled and uttered, "I'm glad you did."

"Eevo," his Eevee made herself heard, and Shinji picked her up.

"So, is this also Misato?" Misato asked.

"Yes. I get that it's confusing to people that have the same name and everything, but…"

"I know. It was to help you stay sane. And…it's not all that confusing, really."

"Oh, really?"

"It's all a matter of how one's addressed…or how one responds to their name being used."

-x-

This was a new feat for the Giovanni Corporation as they were recording the new data from the medically-induced coma of Misato Katsuragi.

Antonio watches from the screens on the console in front of Palkia's chamber, he and the children observe Shinji with the purple-haired woman he hasn't seen in over four years since he appeared in the Pokemon world.

Misato, despite her initial disbelief in actually getting there subconsciously, had managed to get to where Shinji was with little effort on her part.

"Is this your next match?" She asked the displaced pilot and current Pokemon Trainer.

"Yes, my third match. My opponent is a trainer from Maiden's Peak in Kanto. Specializes mainly in Ghost and Ground-Type Pokemon. Would you care to watch the match?" Shinji responded.

"Certainly."

"Ghost and Ground Pokemon, though," said Hikari, as she and Toji were there, too. "Shinji has fought and defeated dozens of those."

"Maybe his Gyarados, Mewtwo and another Pokemon will be his best options," suggested Toji.

"Master? But he's a Psychic Pokemon. Isn't he vulnerable to Ghost Pokemon due to their opposing natures?" Asuka questioned.

"It's actually a two-way street with Psychic and Ghost Pokemon, since Master is practically fearless against others," Kensuke explained. "Ghost Pokemon represent the afterlife and our deepest fears of what lies beyond the veil of life after death. Psychic Pokemon represent the strength of the mind over the body, how willpower gives us the ability to turn thought into action, the will to overcome fear."

"Hey, you admirers," went Antonio to them. "The third match is about to commence."

-x-

"…Ever since arriving to this year's conference, young Shinji Ikari has remarkably taken us by storm!" One of the announcers declared as Shinji and Misato stood on the platform on their green side of the Water Field. "How does he intend to amaze us against his next opponent?"

"Well, as we've seen in his last two matches, young Ikari has Pokemon that are much stronger than initially expected, implying that he has a training regime much better than what most others practice," a female announcer expressed. "And some of the Pokemon he uses are not just strong, but rare."

"And what about our challenger he's up against? What is her story?"

"Dominique Diaz, a resident of Maiden's Peak in the Kanto Region. Primary specialty is Ghost and Ground Pokemon, but I hear that she's changed her roster for facing Shinji, who's bound to have changed his roster a tiny bit to maintain his unpredictability."

On Shinji's opposing side of the field was a woman that was probably in her early-twenties, dressed in a pink and purple yukata, with long, gray hair and green eyes.

"Today, your unpredictability comes to an end, Ikari," she told him. "I'm the one advancing up."

"Success is only promised to those that put in the effort to achieve their goals, Ms. Diaz," Shinji responded, looking at a lower section of the audience on his left, seeing his purple-haired guardian watching him. "May the best of our Pokemon show us the way to victory."

The digital spinner went to work, performing its roulette routine to decide who would go first. This time, Shinji was red and Dominique was green. It sped down to blink on red, then green…then red…and stopped on green.

Dominique Diaz had the first move.

"Well, ladies first, as men would say," Shinji accepted as his opponent took out a Great Ball.

"I'm about to bring out my favorite nightmare on you," Dominique told him. "Hah!"

The ball was thrown on the first platform in front of her on the field, and out popped a Gengar with green eyes.

"A Gengar, huh?" Shinji went, holding up an Ultra Ball. "I'll fight back fear with the courage of the will, and here's a friend who knows all about will."

He threw the ball up into the air…and out popped Master, immediately shedding his cloak and revealing his only other decorative feature to be a black wristband on his left arm that read, _"Master of One's Own Destiny"_.

"You don't intimidate me," said Master to the Gengar.

"Gengar, Gengar."

"Let the first round begin!" The referee shouted.

"Use Psychic, Master," Shinji suggested, and his Mewtwo's eyes glowed bright blue.

-x-

It wasn't going at all the way he had expected it to. Not only was Gendo unable to convince SEELE that NERV's inability to handle the situation with the Angel was hindered by the Giovanni Corporation, but the council had seen the power of Palkia and were immensely intrigued by its interference and ability to at least halt the Angel.

"…A creature that is as smart as human beings are," said SEELE 06, "and is able to work in tandem with a human against a greater threat. It would be a beneficial feat if both agencies could do the same."

"Except how do we know that this thing didn't just escape from the Giovanni Corporation?" Gendo suggested, trying to make it seem as though the company with former military ties was at fault for not controlling the Pokemon.

"On the contrary," went SEELE 02 in response, "we received word from the Giovanni Corporation explaining why the creature addressed as Palkia was there to begin with. The dragon reasoned that it was concerned for the pilots that could travel subconsciously to this other dimension the Third Child has been displaced in. According to it, their continued presence in his displaced life encourages the boy to continue towards his goal of returning to this world. If anything were to happen to them, who would be able to explain to your son that those able to meet with him weren't able to, anymore?"

"And does this council take the word of this…this Pokemon…seriously?" Gendo questioned.

"If we didn't, Antonio Giovanni stated that we could interview this Palkia ourselves for further confirmation," answered SEELE 01.

-x-

"…So, Palkia's willing to have words with the rest of NERV if they needed more reason to believe that it was there to help us?" Kensuke asked Antonio as they watched Master defeat Dominique's Gengar, despite its own attempts to invoke fear in him.

"That's right," he answered the boy. "For y'all sake and the sake of the people that don't know what tomorrow brings, Palkia was willing to do all that it could to ensure that we have days to look forward to in the hopes of better things happening."

The Gengar fell into the pool of the field and floated as it was incapacitated from Master's high level of power against it.

"Gengar is unable to continue," the referee announced. "Mewtwo wins!"

"Shinji just might win this tournament," said Hikari as Dominique recalled her Shadow Pokemon.

"It looks like Ghost-Types won't help this time around," the woman grunted, removing another Poke Ball from her sleeves. "You're not the only one capable of changing their tactics. I choose Torterra!"

Her ball opened and unleashed a light that condensed into a large creature that resembled a tortoise with a large tree on its shell and three stones.

"Tor!" It roared, standing on the large platform in front of its trainer.

"A Torterra?" Antonio asked. "Isn't that a Grass-Type?"

"Primarily," Kensuke explained. "It's also part Ground-Type, adding to this woman's diversity among Pokemon types."

-x-

Misato couldn't believe that she was seeing a large tortoise with a tree on its shell. She wondered how Shinji was going to defeat something like this, as it looked very strong.

"Would you care to switch out, Master?" She heard Shinji say to his Mewtwo.

"Gladly," he responded, and became light that returned to his ball.

Shinji then took out a Great Ball and opened it, releasing his Charizard.

"Rrraurgh!" Asuka roared at the Torterra.

"So, it's true, then," Dominique expressed. "What I've been hearing about this Charizard you have. It's handicapped by the loss of its tail flame…and yet still alive."

"Some say Asuka's handicapped, I say she's stronger than even I could have imagined her be," Shinji responded. "Surely, you've encountered a few Pokemon with some sort of handicap that hasn't hindered them or been an obstacle in their life."

"Unfortunately, sir, the ones I've ever seen in the wild have never survived so long. My heart goes out to them, though."

Shinji gave a nod of approval to her.

"Begin!" The referee announced, and the crowd cheered for excitement.

"Solar Beam, Torterra!" Dominique commanded, and her Pokemon's mouth began to glow brightly.

"Asuka, Fire Blast!" Shinji reacted; because the weather today was immensely sunny and clear, a Solar Beam attack didn't need to charge up before being unleashed, but the intense heat given off by the sun also increased the strength of Fire-Type attacks.

Misato watched as Asuka and Torterra unleashed their attacks and then shielded her eyes from the colliding explosion they caused.

"Aaah! Aah!" She gasped.

When the light from the explosion faded, the crowd saw the two Pokemon still standing on their platforms in the pool.

"Oh! Oh! What a spectacular stalemate that was!" The female announcer cheered. "It looks like Dominique's Torterra will be sticking around longer than her Gengar!"

-x-

"Looks like Shinji finally found an opponent that's going to be a bit more challenging than the previous two," said Toji, suspecting that a Fire/Flying-Type Pokemon was going to have some difficulty with a Grass/Ground-Type.

"Oh, you'd be a bit surprised by how Shinji responds to most challenges," went Kensuke to him, and watched as Shinji's Charizard started glowing. "And this is something neither of us could understand."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked him.

"Every now and then, some of the Pokemon Shinji uses do this in certain battles, changing their forms and exhibiting stronger moves that seem impossible for them. None of the trainers or Gym Leaders we met could explain it."

When the glowing on the screens ceased, everyone present saw that Shinji's Charizard had grown a few feet larger, was now predominantly black instead of orange, had spiked shoulders and blue flames on the sides of her mouth.

"Holy God," went Antonio.

"Dear God," they all heard Misato as she saw the phenomenon in front of her.

"So, that's also true," expressed Dominique to Shinji. "Somehow, your Pokemon are capable of Mega Evolution without the necessary stones to do so."

"Mega Evolution?" Shinji went, confused. "So this is what it's called?"

"Mega Evolution, huh?" Antonio spoke. "Quite the power boost."

"No kidding," added Asuka, wondering how Shinji was able to do this with his Pokemon if such a phenomenon required certain stones to do so.

-x-

So he was able to make his Pokemon do something called Mega Evolution, and without any stones required. It was just another mystery in the world of Pokemon for Shinji.

"Thank you for the clarity, Ms. Diaz," he praised the woman, "but I still aim to win this match."

"If you think a little power boost will help you, you're sorely mistaken," she responded. "Hit 'em again, Torterra! Solar Beam!"

"Tor!" Torterra growled as its mouth glowed again.

"Let's give 'em an encore Fire Blast, Asuka!"

"Grrraurgh!" Asuka growled as she spat out a large, blue ball of fire that shaped into the star-like symbol for the attack.

Blast! Torterra's Solar Beam collided with the Fire Blast, but it seemed like both attacks had a shift in their power and intensity.

Asuka's Fire Blast burned harder and Torterra's Solar Beam appeared just as dense. The Solar Beam pushed back the Fire Blast, but then the Fire Blast pushed forward again, as though it had a mind of its own and knew it needed to hit its mark.

"Increased the intensity, Torterra!" Dominique ordered.

Shinji looked at the water and couldn't believe the idea he was getting right now.

"Take flight, Asuka," he told her, and she spread her wings, shooting into the air like a bullet.

It was just in time as their attacks triggered another explosion that shook the stadium.

"Goodness gracious, the Water Field has never seen such intensity from two Pokemon that don't have much advantage in the water!" The male announcer shouted. "Still, with Dominique Diaz down to just two Pokemon and Shinji Ikari still with three, it's anyone's guess on who will win!"

"Go, Shinji!" Misato cheered him on.

"Razor Leaf, Torterra!"

"Fire Spin, Asuka!"

Both Pokemon released their requested attacks, but only the Charizard's was stronger due to its fiery advantage over plants, burning the razor-edged leaves and sending the remains of her attack at the Continent Pokemon's platform, surrounding both in a fire twister.

"Torterra!" It howled as the fire died down, revealing the tree on its shell had been singed and the leaves burnt to a crisp.

"Torterra, use Synthesis!" Dominique gasped, and the Continent Pokemon's body glowed brightly.

The tree on its back shed its burnt bark to reveal new bark and the burnt leaves were replaced by a fresh growth of healthy ones. In no time, Torterra was looking like new.

"Tor!" It grunted, apparently angry over such a crippling blow.

"That was the strongest and fastest Synthesis I've ever seen," said Shinji to her.

"Thank you. Your Charizard is quite the accomplished fighter."

"Thank you."

Misato couldn't believe her eyes at how Torterra quickly recovered from such an assault on its body. It was faster than how quickly the Angels could regenerate or how humans could recover from certain injuries at an undetermined pace. If such a property could be exploited to the very environment in their world, they could have seen the revitalization of lost plant species much faster.

 _Shinji just keeps surprising us with what these Pokemon can do,_ she thought, wondering how the boy was going to defeat a creature that could regenerate after being burnt.

"Asuka, use Fire Blast on the pool!" Shinji commanded. "Evaporate the water!"

Asuka did as instructed and fired at the center of the pool, causing a significant portion of the water to evaporate into steam.

"Good, now use Fire Spin again!"

The Charizard unleashed her flames at Torterra again and left it slightly burnt; the recovery must've boosted the Continent Pokemon's endurance up by a significant amount.

"Synthesis, Torterra!"

Torterra did as instructed, but something was wrong this time. It didn't regenerate like before.

"Tor?" It went, confused.

"You need water and sunlight in order to heal!" Shinji stated; any Pokemon with plant characteristics were bound by the requirements of plants. "The evaporated water in the air has obscured the sunlight and there's not much water left in the pool!"

"Oh, no! Torterra, use Solar Beam!" Dominique panicked, but then realized that with the sunny weather partially obscured by the clouds generated by the evaporated water, the attack would need to charge up.

"Tor!" It roared, gathering the necessary energy from the sunlight shining over its body.

"Once more, Asuka! Fire Blast!" Shinji commanded, and Asuka unleashed her attack upon Torterra; while the sun might've been obscured by the artificial clouds, the Charizard was still powerful in her own right. _Just do your best, Asuka. There's no need for perfection. Perfection is a flaw._

Blast! The fire enveloped Torterra…and the Solar Beam shot through the flames, just missing Asuka's body, all save the tip of her right wing, and shot into the sky.

When the fire ceased, Torterra was mildly burnt, but still standing firmly.

"Graaurgh!" Asuka grunted.

"Torterra!" Torterra grunted, but then collapsed.

-x-

"Dang, girl," went Toji, amazed by how Shinji's Charizard was able to defeat a Pokemon with a piece of land on its back. "Shinji trained you good."

"Torterra is unable to battle!" The referee declared. "Charizard is the victor!"

The crowd on the screens went wild with excitement over Shinji's second win of the match. All he had to do was beat one more of Dominique's Pokemon and he would advance to his fourth match.

"Excuse me?" The children and Antonio turned to see Kozo Fuyutsuki. "How much did I miss?"

"Nothing much because everything is being recorded for later use," Antonio explained. "Young Ikari just bested two out of three of his third opponent's Pokemon. He's one more round away from winning his third match of the league."

Fuyutsuki came over and noticed that Major Katsuragi was present at the arena where Shinji was participating in his third match of the Sinnoh Region's league.

"How did Major Katsuragi get to the Pokemon world?" He asked them.

"She volunteered to try to get there," explained Rei to him. "It was her first attempt. A success, really."

"Is this what Palkia meant for her to consider before he left the Geo-Front?"

"That is right."

"I'm not done just yet, Shinji!" Dominique yelled, holding up a new ball in her right hand. "I've saved my best for last!"

She threw the ball and it popped open, revealing a…large Pokemon that looked like a mutated Rhydon made more rocky with a series of orange plates on its body and two holes in its arms.

"Rhy!" It roared, slamming its left foot on the platform.

"Whoa, everyone!" The male announcer gasped. "For her third Pokemon, Dominique Diaz has chosen Rhyperior! What will Shinji do to overcome this powerhouse?"

"A Rhyperior?" Antonio asked, examining the creature. "That must be the strongest member of the evolutionary line of the Rhyhorn family."

"Rhinos with rocky attitudes," said Asuka in agreement with him. "But Shinji's got attitude, too."

Shinji recalled his Charizard and looked down at a different Poke Ball in his left hand, looking unsure about what he was going to do.

"Oh, please, don't tell me he's going to play what I think he's going to play," said Toji.

-x-

He had only recently acquired it, but Shinji had been faithful in his Pokemon's abilities and they had never lost their faith in him. So he had to have faith in this one.

"Give it your best… Soko-Yama!" He called out, throwing the ball onto the platform in front of him, releasing his recently-acquired Aggron.

"Rrraurgh!" It growled.

"Quite the twist here, folks!" The female announcer claimed. "For his third Pokemon, Shinji has chosen an Aggron! It's a Ground/Rock Pokemon versus a Steel/Rock Pokemon! Both have the same, secondary type, but only their primary typing will be the deciding factor in this round. Who do you think will have the edge?"

Even Misato was unsure of which one was superior. She hadn't been completely up to date on which types were stronger or weaker against between Pokemon, but based on what she was told before, it took more than just type advantage to win a match. It also took level and experience to decide who had the edge. But she had to consider the possibility that Shinji's Aggron had the advantage due to its primary Steel-Type advantage being much stronger than the Rock-Type; people had been able to evolve out of the Stone Age into the Bronze Age, which later led to the Iron Age through the harvesting and smelting of various metals from the hardest of rocks.

"Begin!" The referee shouted for the Pokemon to begin the round.

"I'll end this round with one move!" Dominique stated. "Horn Drill, Rhyperior!"

"Mankey see, Mankey do!" Shinji countered, grateful that he had brushed up on his new Aggron's list of moves. "Soko-Yama, counter with Mimic!"

As the Rhyperior's horn began to spin like a rotating drill, Soko-Yama's own horn began to mirror that of the Rhyperior's. The two jumped across the platforms to get closer to each other for their chosen attacks to do more damage.

SLAM! They collided into each other and were sent flying backwards onto their first platforms in front of their respective trainers.

Neither had any injuries relating to their attacks, but both were incapacitated.

Shinji had to suspect that Dominique's Rhyperior and his Aggron were at least of similar (if not equal) strength in order to do such harm.

"Soko-Yama!" He gasped, not expecting this to happen.

"Rhyperior!" Dominique mirrored. "Are you alright?"

Both shook their incapacitation off and struggled to get back up.

"Incredible!" The female announcer shouted. "A Horn Drill from both combatants, and they're both getting back up!"

"And based on the minor report on Shinji's Aggron, it was recently caught prior to his arrival here for the conference. This is the first time Shinji's used an Aggron in any match." The male announcer informed the audience.

"Aggron!" Soko-Yama grunted.

"Soko-Yama, are you okay?" Shinji asked it.

"Gron!" It growled; it hadn't expected its new trainer to ask about its well-being.

"Just do your best. There's no need for perfection. There's no expectation of perfection from me."

"Agg!"

It decided that as long as its trainer chose to have faith in its abilities and wasn't expecting anything more or less than perfection from it, it would try to trust in the boy just much as he trusted it.

Flash! Soko-Yama's body began to glow, and it felt like it was being flooded with new energy.

When the glow ceased, the Aggron appeared larger and more armored.

"Aggron!" It roared, reinvigorated.

"No way!" Shinji gasped. "Soko-Yama can do it, too?"

Dominique suspected that Shinji had no clue as to which Pokemon were capable of Mega Evolution and which weren't. This likely meant he didn't know just how much stronger his Aggron had become. But what intrigued her more was how this Mega Evolution was so instantaneous; the boy just caused his Pokemon to evolve further without any effort thrown. And could make more than one do so.

"Oh, and now Shinji has a much-stronger Aggron to participate with!" The announcers cheered. "What will Dominique do?"

-x-

"…Un-freaking-believable," said Antonio as he witnessed Mega Evolution. "This is completely unprecedented. It's like the power of Shinji's Pokemon went over eleven."

"No kidding," added Asuka. "It looks like it's more Steel than Rock."

"That's because it might be more Steel than Rock now," Kensuke suspected; he often had to find out things that Shinji might've been unable to during events.

"Is such a thing possible?" Rei asked him. "Can Pokemon lose their typing?"

"Some can. During evolution, their types can often change. A Water-Type can develop a secondary Ice-Type. A Bug-Type can develop Flying-Type traits. It depends on the Pokemon and their environmental requirements and responses."

"I can still beat your Aggron!" Dominique yelled at Shinji. "Horn Drill, Rhyperior!"

"Mimic, Soko-Yama!" Shinji ordered.

On the screens, the Rhyperior and the augmented Aggron unleashed their attacks and it looked like it was going to end in another stalemate. But something happened that nobody from Misato in the audience to Fuyutsuki in the Palkia chamber had expected to witness.

Dominique's Rhyperior, in all its fierceness and tenacity, had fallen into the water and was out cold, all the while Shinji's Aggron was panting as it stood proudly, its horn's glow fading as its mimicked Horn Drill was spent.

Dominique looked shocked, unable to comprehend how this defeat had been handed to her by Shinji, who looked like he was the one that was defeated.

"Rhyperior is unable to battle," said the referee. "The match goes to Shinji Ikari!"

Misato, who seemed just as shocked, got over the awe quickly as she cheered for Shinji and Soko-Yama, followed by everyone else that cheered for Shinji.

"Eevo!" His Eevee hopped onto his right shoulder as Soko-Yama reverted back to its original state.

"We did it," he expressed, and then climbed off his platform and jumped across the platforms to the one Soko-Yama was on. "Are you alright, Soko-Yama?"

"Agg," it responded.

"You did great out there today. You, Asuka and Master all did great out there today."

"Aggron."

-x-

Misato found Shinji in a locker room laying on a bench with his Eevee on his chest.

"Exhausted?" She asked them.

Shinji looked up at her and answered, "Yeah. Master was unscathed, but Asuka and Soko-Yama took heavy blows against Ms. Diaz's Torterra and Rhyperior. The longer or enduring the matches are, the more stamina you lose as a consequence."

"The price of knowing and accepting that your Pokemon are your allies in a conflict, not your tools?"

"That's right, but it's a price I'm willing to pay each time. If I sound disrespectful, then I apologize, but Pokemon to me…are many times greater than what the Eva never could be."

"I don't blame you for feeling that way. Asuka and Rei told me some things that make your goal to return difficult if not challenging. Is it really true, though?"

"Everything Hikari of Light showed me that I had forgotten due to how traumatic and painful they were was as clear as daylight. I was there when the Eva was still being worked on when I was little. Thinking back to that time, I hate what my parents did. As much as I know I need to get back, I want to find an alternate solution to dealing with the Angels that doesn't require the Evas. Do you think I'm out of line for thinking such things?"

Misato looked down at him, noticing that his Eevee was looking right at her, as if waiting to be judgmental towards her about her trainer's decisions.

"I think your old man is crazy for thinking he can obtain Pokemon for personal or military gain," she told him.

"I wouldn't trust him with a Porygon or Koffing. Unless he can treat Pokemon with trust and love, not as expendable weapons or cheap commodities, he doesn't deserve to have any by his side."

"And none of the Pokemon you have are nicknamed after your parents?"

"Not a one. No chance in this life or the next one such a thing will ever happen."

"Some people at NERV that have seen the footage of your battles and matches would say that you're very powerful, not just popular."

Shinji placed his left hand over his forehead and responded, "Power means nothing if it's all one seeks. Perfection is in itself a flaw. Popularity is the drive of wanting others to notice you as you are and think positively about your status. It's never a bad thing to want to feel noticed by others. For me, though, nothing is better than the company of those around you, that want to be with you."

His right hand raised up and stroked his Eevee's back fur.

"Eee," she purred.

Misato leaned back against the wall behind her and smiled at the two.

"You were amazing out there," she praised him. "All of you were amazing."

"Thank you," he smiled, "and thanks for taking a risk by trying to come here. It's…really great to see you after such a long time. Well, long time here."

"Yeah. I'm just glad that you're alive."

To be continued…

A/N: Now that we've gotten the good relations to see Shinji in as close to in person as possible with the subconscious dimensional travel, it's no telling how things will get further developed. However, I do look forward to Shinji's next match. Best of wishes.


	20. Out of the Darkness and in the Light

Creation began on 10-15-17

Creation ended on 11-04-17

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Out of the Darkness and in the Light

"Please, identify yourself," said the man as he sat with his fellow gentlemen in front of the Spatial Pokemon as it sat in front of them whilst Antonio watched from the sidelines with eight armed guards that had several rounds of tranquilizer darts ready to put grown men down for eighteen hours if the creature was placed in danger.

"I am Palkia," the Pokemon identified itself to the five men. "How do you do?"

The men looked at one another and then back at Palkia.

"A bit jet lagged, I'm afraid," the man in the middle of the quintette confessed. "Is it okay with you if we record this conversation? For the sake of reference and posterity?"

"No, go right ahead."

"So…you understand why we're here, right?" The man on the far right had asked Palkia.

"I was informed two hours prior to your arrival," the Spatial Pokemon revealed.

Eight days since Misato Katsuragi had awoken from her medically-induced coma that lasted only two days since Antonio wanted to ensure that the woman could return to work at NERV in a timely fashion, and she recovered slightly faster than the children did during their sojourn in the Pokemon world. The information gathered from her involvement helped to confirm whether or not adults could traverse subconsciously into the other dimension through Palkia's power over spatial phenomenology, and it brought the Giovanni Corporation much closer to the goal of opening doorways to new dimensions and help retrieve Shinji Ikari from his displacement.

"We're to understand that when the most recent Angel attacked Tokyo-3 and invaded NERV HQ, you intervened on behalf of the pilots of the Evangelions…and assisted them in repelling the threat," the lead man expressed to the dragon. "Do you deny having intervened?"

"I do not deny," it responded. "I was there to help them."

"And the Angel itself is not…dead?"

"It isn't, merely entrapped in the spatial rift I created to serve as its prison. So long as the rift continues to collapse in onto itself, the Angel, as you call it, cannot escape and resume its attack."

"And this method of containing the threat," went the man in the middle on the right, "was only possible because of the strategic planning of the Fourth Child, was it not?"

"Yes…and no," Palkia explained. "It takes more than strategic planning to achieve a feat. One must also possess the means, including those willing and able, to see it through. Containing the danger was a team effort. To claim credit over all that was done is to consider those around you beneath you instead of beside you, displaying the attitude you would refer to as narcissism."

The five men looked at one another and the lead man nodded in the positive over Palkia's response.

"Part of your reason for returning to the research installation here when you could've fled to parts unknown?" He asked.

"The Giovanni Corporation periodically scratches the surface of their goal to enter new dimensions and find alternative solutions to save this world. If they continue and succeed at the pace they take, then the goal would become beneficial for all of those involved, including myself. I would be able to return to my dimension…and the young man who was displaced there would be able to return to this one. You will have discovered new worlds, those untouched by traces of civilization, full of resources you can use to replenish your own, displace the vast ocean waters to reclaim land. Surely, you can imagine the possibilities of such research when those that do so are all willing participants."

"Scratching the surface?" The man in the middle on the left spoke. "You mean, the Giovanni Corporation discovers little by little with each experiment?"

"If you demand results that are only what you desire, the work you do will not necessarily guarantee them. Just as you can't rush the boy that does his part to get closer to returning here, you cannot rush the research being done here to open a doorway to there."

"And…could you tell us how the individuals in question are able to travel to your home dimension, albeit subconsciously?" The man on the far left asked it. "From what we've heard, they just sleep."

Palkia looked at Antonio, who sighed as he nodded his permission to reveal the details on how those that participated were able to travel back and forth between this world and the Pokemon world.

"So far, the research performed on such traveling suggests that those with a positive degree of association with the displaced Shinji Ikari have a higher level of success of reaching him in the other dimension. Other theories include individuals who desire to reach out to the boy to further remind him that there are people waiting for him to come back here."

"Meaning those he has associated with positively have a higher success rate of reaching this other dimension that he's currently lost in? So, put quite simply, people like his father have no chance, whatsoever, of getting to where he is subconsciously in this world that you're from?"

"Quite right."

This theory, of course, wouldn't get Gendo any good graces from anyone if his relationship with his own son was strained and full of disappointment and resentment on Gendo's part if it proved true. Not that Antonio would try and have Gendo attempt reaching out to Shinji in the Pokemon world if all he really saw was Pokemon as just another expendable resource that he could care less about if they didn't live up to his expectations.

"Um, getting back to the topic of this discussion and meeting," the lead man uttered, "if another Angel were to show up and attack…and NERV were unable to deal with it on their own, would you again assist them?"

"If they ask me…and should they need such assistance," it answered him.

 _I wonder how Shinji is doing in his fourth match that the research team is recording in silence?_ Antonio wondered, wishing he could be observing the fourth round of the Sinnoh League preliminaries.

-x-

THUD! The opposing female trainer's Abomasnow fell after being burnt by Shinji's Entei, leaving her deprived of all three of her Pokemon, including her Scizor and Venusaur, to continue the match against his Pyro, Charizard and Moltres chosen to participate in the match.

"Abomasnow is unable to continue!" The referee announced. "The match goes to Shinji Ikari!"

The crowd went wild with cheers for Shinji and his Pokemon.

 _We did it,_ he thought, looking at the people as they applauded their victory of the Grass Field. _We're_ _going to the finals now._

"Yo, Ikari!" The female trainer called out to him from across the field. "It was a great match! Don't you dare quit your roll! Fight your way to the top!"

Shinji gave her a thumbs-up with his left hand. Then, he looked down at Misato and picked her up.

"You guys always amaze me with your best," he told her. "I can't thank you enough."

"Eee!" She responded.

-x-

"…I take it that the meeting these men that represented the interests of the UN went well with Palkia?" Misato asked Antonio the next day as she returned to the research installation, seeing the Spatial Pokemon undergoing a medical evaluation.

"The trouble with meetings of this sort," he responded to her, "is that I don't know what everyone's thinking when faced with someone that is unlike anyone they've met before. I don't know if the meeting went well, but I am supportive of Palkia's responses to each question that was asked."

"Simple question, then: They were startled by the fact that it's intelligent?"

Antonio then looked at a heart and respiratory monitor and noticed how the heart had to beat twenty times within a minute.

"Oh, I'm sure they were wondering how its voice came out and not seem like it was telepathy," he told her. "Or at least trying not to wet themselves. How are the children doing, by the way?"

"Commander Ikari has them working extra synchronization shifts. Apparently, he feels that if the pilots spent more time with their Eva training when the Angel showed up, NERV wouldn't have had difficulty in dealing with the threat."

"So, basically, he's blaming Palkia, the Giovanni Corporation and the children themselves rather than admit to the possibility of the Angel being more dangerous than what was previously encountered."

"Yeah, that's about right. He's probably still venting over what Palkia said about him, though, which would add on to the reason he's trying to keep the children busy."

"If there's one thing about Gendo Ikari I know to be a fact that keeps many from wanting anything to do with him on a personal level, it's that he's one to hold grudges on what may or may not be the truth about him."

"The only ones he can't exert any pressure on are Suzuhara and Horaki…but I heard a rumor that that might change soon."

"What, that he's trying to draft them into the Eva program?"

"Yeah."

Antonio sighed and looked at an x-ray of Palkia's skeletal structure on the monitor in front of him.

"I take it he's not one to take a refusal for an answer?" He suggested.

"As someone we were informed of that views Pokemon as just another expendable resource, he's not capable of any measure of decline if there's something he wants or feels he should have," she answered. "He's as stubborn as a… Well, as stubborn as an Arbok."

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"You used 'Arbok' over 'mule'."

"I guess Shinji's Pokemon adventures and the time I spent in the Pokemon world has given me more clarity and left me open to using Pokemon names over the traditional terms."

"I don't blame you. Shinji's quite the icon to the people that go online to look at the posted footage. You should see the number of views and likes each video of him gets on YouTube. Last I checked, one of them got over two-hundred-million."

"People love him. People that have seen him, heard of him, even those that don't really know him."

-x-

"This sucks, you know," groaned Asuka as she kicked her locker door in front of Rei. "This really, really sucks!"

"You don't have to tell me," Rei responded, exhausted from the synchronization testing they had done earlier today. "We haven't been able to go to the Giovanni Corporation's research station and go see Shinji like we usually could. Commander Ikari is trying to keep us away from him."

"If he hates him this much, I'd hate to see what he thinks of Shinji winning a Pokemon League championship and ending up in the Hall of Fame to be remembered for generations to come."

Rei sighed as she thought of Shinji winning the Sinnoh League and being remembered in the Hall of Fame by new trainers. She wanted to see something like that happen in front of her…and not on some monitor that can connect to wherever he is.

"Pilot Soryu," she uttered. "After school tomorrow… Let's not come back here. We, Pilot Aida and Horaki and Suzuhara go to the research station instead."

Asuka looked at her like she had gone insane…and smiled.

"I like the way you're thinking right now," she expressed.

-x-

Ever since he discovered that the phenomenon some of his Pokemon experienced was called Mega Evolution, Shinji periodically called Prof. Oak back in Pallet Town whenever he was at the Pokemon Center or his hotel suite, hoping he had found any clue as to how they were capable of such a feat if there were stones required, which he lacked.

"…I was finally able to find out where you'd have to go to understand this phenomenon your Pokemon go through every now and then," Prof. Oak informed him on the computer screen. "It turns out that the study of Mega Evolution is commonly researched in the far-off Kalos Region by researchers like Prof. Augustine Sycamore. If there's anyone who can explain how you're able to make your Pokemon do this, it's him."

"Thank you, Prof. Oak," he praised. "I keep getting my Pokemon checked ever since my match on the Water Field where I found out what it was called. I'm not sure this…Mega Evolution causes anything beyond simple fatigue."

"If this occurs periodically, then there's doubt about this particular form of evolution being hazardous to Pokemon. Exhaustion is only temporary, able to be overcome through rest."

"Thank you."

"And you're moving up to the finals now. You'll be permitted to use six Pokemon in full battles. You must be excited about it."

"Excited…and terrified at the same time."

"You're nervous about the duration of the tournament. It's normal for even the most experienced of trainers to feel nervous about their next series of battles. Even Ash gets nervous."

"Ash Ketchum, the fabled Pokemon Trainer I've yet to meet in person…whom I still look forward to meeting someday."

Either through a series of coincidences or an act of forces beyond them, all either the young hero of Pokemon from Pallet Town and the displaced Evangelion pilot-turned-Pokemon Trainer that became a transient resident of Pallet Town had known of each other was either where the other was currently or going later on. Neither had ever met in person or even through video communication, but based on the previous visits to Pallet Town, Ash was likely a bit envious of the fact that Shinji had caught more Pokemon during his career as a trainer than even Gary had caught…and had lasted longer in the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn Leagues than he had due to his Pokemon being much stronger…even though Shinji had admiration towards him for helping to protect the planet, several places in every region he had visited, even changing the lives of those he met, and he'd been a trainer a year longer than he had been. There was no denying that the two had a desire to eventually battle each other someday, but so long as time and distance and acts of forces beyond their control made themselves known and in force, it would be a miracle for that to happen.

"Oh, he looks forward to meeting you, as well," Prof. Oak told him. "Someday."

"Well, again, thank you for finding out about where I need to go in order to understand more about Mega Evolution. It is a subject I'm looking forward to understanding layer by layer."

"There's something else you should know about the Unova League in case you plan on going there after Sinnoh. Even if you get the necessary badges to participate, it'll be a whole fifteen months before the next conference. On an alternative solution, you could travel to the Kalos Region and participate in the Pokemon League there until the time of the Unova League comes up."

"Thank you again. I think that's exactly what I'll do. Until next time, Prof. Oak."

Ding-ding-ding! The sound of the Pokemon Center's announcing of one of the trainer's Pokemon being mended came, and reminded Shinji of how fortunate he'd been to have chosen to call Prof. Oak while he was getting his Pokemon examined and treated for injuries they might've gotten from the last match.

 _It's not just competing in the Pokemon League of each region,_ he thought as he got up and walked down the hallway. _It's also about catching new Pokemon to help you along the way and to understand what they can do and how to help them do their best in a given situation._

-x-

"…The Committee were rather impressed by the interview with Palkia," Fuyutsuki informed Gendo after receiving the update on how said interview went. "However, they're reevaluating other things that came to light during their meeting."

"Such as?" Gendo questioned him.

"Whether or not you can still be trusted to lead NERV."

"If they decide that you can't," went Kaji to him, "it's most likely they'll place someone they can trust in charge of NERV. Maybe even one who can tolerate the intervention of a powerful Pokemon willing to aid the children in dealing with an Angel they can't beat on their own."

"Irrelevant," Gendo responded; so long as he was still in charge, he refused to work in tandem with anything he couldn't control. "What of the search for two more pilots from the candidates?"

Neither Fuyutsuki or Kaji found his subject change to be beneficial to NERV in any way that made matters simpler than they needed to be.

"The two candidates have been found," the sub-commander revealed, "they just need to be informed."

"Excellent."

-x-

"…You three look terrible," Hikari told Asuka, Kensuke and Rei as they, herself and Toji sat on the school rooftop during lunch.

"That no-nonsense control freak that may see Pokemon as only a commodity has us doing longer synchronization tests as a consequence of our inability to destroy the Angel instead of just locking it up in a rift between two spaces in our world," explained Kensuke to her.

"That's cold and low, even for him," went Toji. "As long as it's contained, the potential danger it represents is negated."

"In his mind, containment is just a stopgap," Asuka stated. "Either the Angel's dead…or we continue to deal with a lingering threat."

Hikari and Toji looked at one another and sighed as they knew they couldn't keep this quiet.

"Toji and I were contacted yesterday," she revealed. "It was NERV representatives. They want us to pilot the Evas."

"What?!" Asuka gasped. "We already have this otaku that opened the door to interdimensional travel to the Pokemon world subconsciously. Why would NERV need two more pilots?"

"Strength in numbers," answered Toji. "But they don't have two more Evas yet, so I see no reason to recruit two more pilots."

"Commander Ikari's response to the last Angel attack," Rei uttered, "trying to refrain from requesting the assistance of Palkia should we ever require it."

"But…there's no shame in asking for help from someone willing to assist in a situation," said Hikari.

"He doesn't believe that Palkia or the Giovanni Corporation can be trusted unless it's on his terms."

"Control freak," uttered Toji.

"We're scheduled for another synchronization test after school," Asuka told them, "but we're not going back to NERV today."

"Why?" Hikari asked her.

"We want to see Shinji again," answered Rei. "Does there have to be any other reason than wanting to see a friend, not because he's gaining notoriety or because he has obtained a form of power in the form of creatures that can perform feats no animal here can top…but because you can't see them as much as you'd like to or used to before they were forced to go somewhere and are trying to find the way back?"

That was deep, coming from Rei. And it held much meaning. A friend was gone, beyond their physical reach, reachable only through special means involving a creature that was stranded here in their world, and they wanted to see them as much as they possibly could.

"It's not even about the Evas and Angels, anymore," said Asuka. "It's about seeing where the day takes you and how you respond to everything that happens."

That, too, was also very deep.

"Some people are likely to be very pissed you decided to skip an important test for something else that is more important," went Toji, smiling. "But isn't that something the younger generation is known for doing every now and then? Pissing people off by doing the opposite of what they're supposed to be doing? It's like a tradition."

-x-

Full battles on the basic field. Each trainer permitted to use six Pokémon. Even though he wasn't going to use his Eevee, Shinji still kept her on his roster; he had already decided upon the current roster for his upcoming match against his next opponent, using his five strongest Pokémon. As he stood out in the empty stadium again, just imagining what could happen, he felt his nervousness fade from his conscious.

 _So much to do and so little time to do it now,_ he thought about the remaining days of the conference. _After this conference, it's preparation for going to the Unova Region…and then the Kalos Region._

"So…you like to come to the empty stadium to clear your head, too?" He heard someone say to him, and he saw a man, probably three years older than him, dressed in a sailor outfit, a few feet away from him. "Sorry. Unless you prefer to be alone right now."

"No, uh… Company is good."

The guy walked to the center of the basic field and sighed.

"I'm Seiryu, by the way," he introduced himself. "Seiryu Shores."

"Shinji Ikari," Shinji introduced himself to the sailor.

"You're the amazing trainer everyone has been talking about. I look forward to our match tomorrow."

Shinji looked at him with some suspicion.

"I checked the schedule for tomorrow. We're up against each other."

"Not many of my opponents tell me this after introducing themselves to me," Shinji told him. "It's often a form of intimidation. But I refuse to back down in the face of adversity. There's only one path to take, and that's the path that leads you into the future."

Seiryu smirked at Shinji and nodded in the positive.

"You have courage in the face of adversity," he uttered. "You never back down. I respect one that stands up to people."

"I've had a lot to stand up to in the last four years."

"Likewise. All the same, I look forward to our match."

"As do I."

"To the victor comes the admiration of the people."

"And to the victor's Pokemon comes even more admiration because they did their best to bring their trainer's team to the top."

-x-

"…I don't believe those kids," went Ritsuko in realization after an hour of waiting on the First, Second and Fourth Children to show up for further synchronization testing. "They got a lotta nerve. No pun intended."

"Well, it has been almost two weeks since the last time they went to see Shinji," Maya defended the children's reason for not being here. "I believe if it's between hours-longer sync tests and three days in a medically-induced coma to venture subconsciously to another world and see a friend and spend as much time as possible with them…the latter appears more meaningful than the former. Besides, they're taking advantage of the fact that there hasn't been another attack since the last one. If there's another attack, they'll come back, and if they can't face the next Angel on their own, all we need to do is ask the Giovanni Corporation for Palkia's aid. No muss, no fuss."

"Except for Commander Ikari's."

"Does he really have any say, anymore, Dr. Akagi? I've heard that the Committee that helps to keep NERV funded through the UN have reviewed the posted footage online and find that Shinji has become something of a beacon of hope to the people here in this world. If he manages to return and brings the Pokemon he has caught with him, maybe it's possible to restore this planet a little bit along with the Giovanni Corporation if they break the code for interdimensional travel."

Ritsuko had to give her protegee credit for her opinion and belief. While the Giovanni Corporation hadn't taken charge of the situation from NERV, they pretty had an influence over the pilots by having the only means to get to Shinji for a while at a time, something the paramilitary agency wasn't working on because there was no way Commander Ikari could be trusted with making the decisions.

"Well, I hope that they come back with more footage," she gave in. "After I saw that Pokemon that looked like a walking, colossal garbage bag, I'm wondering what other Pokemon Shinji will encounter that he can find to capture."

"Some people think the jellyfish he caught are starting become amusing. The Gangsters of the Sea."

-x-

"…If NERV pays us a visit concerning your absence and make a complaint about it, I'm gonna give someone I don't know a black eye," Antonio sighed as the children got ready for their sojourn back to the Pokemon world. "Probably a Section Two agent. I don't know them."

"They're basically suits," Misato expressed. "Virtual nobodies."

He looked at the console monitors, but then looked back at Misato with an expression of irritation.

"What?" She asked him.

"You, too, Ms. Katsuragi," he pointed out. "You need to go see Shinji, too. We've already proven that you can go there."

"Oh, but I need to be around in case of an Angel attack."

"I believe he's not asking you, Ms. Katsuragi," went Palkia, looking at them from in front of the other side of the console. "He's telling you."

Misato couldn't believe she was being outnumbered by a man and a Dragon Pokemon on being told what to do.

"I don't believe this," she responded. "Antonio, I can get, but you, Palkia? You have some nerve."

"If you do this, your participation will aid in the research further on something that will likely appeal to the people in the city and across the country," Palkia explained.

"And what is that?"

"Let's just say," said Antonio, "that we're hoping it'll be amazing."

-x-

Shinji looked up Seiryu Shores' file and found that he used random Pokemon every now and then, changing his roster almost as much as Shinji was. He hadn't been able to compete in the conference last year, but was making up for it this year.

 _But he doesn't seem to keep his first Pokemon with him,_ he thought, looking at the list of Pokemon this man had caught or obtained throughout his career as a trainer, seeing that his initial Pokemon had been a Mudkip…but there was nothing beyond that. _Meaning he either keeps it elsewhere or something else happened to it._

One of the other details of each trainer's individual file was that there were different categories for Pokemon that were either on roster at present, traded away, given away, released or what have you. So far, Shinji found that Seiryu had traded only seven Pokemon, given away two, left three to be trained by other trainers he knew, and only released one, none of which seemed to include his Mudkip. It did nothing to dispel his curiosity about what became of his Mudkip, mainly because Shinji had a problem with anyone that abandoned their Pokemon or did something to get rid of them.

"What's this?" He wondered aloud, seeing a category that listed Pokemon of a different status, and clicked on it, seeing only one Pokemon in it…and feeling a heavy blow in his heart. "Courage in the face of adversity, indeed."

He then took out his Great Ball that had Asuka's name written on it. Adversity had more than one face to use against Pokemon Trainers. But he hadn't met one such face due to never coming to a day where it made itself known…and although he knew it wasn't possible to avoid, no matter how great any trainer was or how strong a Pokemon was, there was always one adversary that nobody, with either luck or skill, could best or escape for so long.

Knock-knock-knock! Someone at his hotel suite's door knocked.

"Who is it?" He asked, remembering that today was the day of his match with Seiryu Shores.

"It's us, Shinji!" He heard Kensuke's voice. "Your friends and fans!"

"Eee?" Misato went, waking from her rest on the bed.

Shinji got up from the desk and went to the door to look through the peephole, seeing his friends out front, and opened the door.

"Hey, guys," he greeted as they came in.

Hikari sat on the bed and picked up Shinji's Eevee and placed her on her lap; since Misato had gotten used to her, the freckled girl didn't have to worry about being soiled on unintentionally by her.

Toji sat in one of the chairs and noticed four of Shinji's Poke Balls on the table.

"Today's your next match?" He asked him.

"Yeah. Two hours from now."

"And this is your opponent?" Asuka asked, looking at the computer screen at the trainer profile. "He's kinda like you, Shinji. There's no apparent preference in the type of Pokemon he uses. There's a chance he'll be unpredictable like you are most of the time, but I doubt you'll lose to him."

As Rei stood against a wall, the albino expressed, "We don't know for sure until their match begins. Still, to cheer for Ikari-Kun and his Pokemon to win is a sign that we support them."

"If I defeat him, it's onto the finals where I face the Elite Four. If they're defeated by my Pokemon, it's onto the previous champion."

"You got this in the bag," said Misato to him. "You're one of the best, above the rest."

"Thank you," he praised them for their encouragement and support. "Do y'all think you can do me a favor before my upcoming match?"

-x-

Gendo was furious, but he couldn't really blame the Giovanni Corporation for his displeasure. The fact that the Eva pilots failed to show up for synchronization testing, instead going to be subjected to induced comas just to see the Third Child…was of their own volition. And the fact that SEELE was willing to allow it so long as it didn't occur while an Angel was attacking and were willing to tolerate the aid of Palkia was just another factor that was not in his control. He really hated it when nobody did as instructed, when Rei started acting too independently of his scenario, and when the Third Child had become such an influential source for many people who found an excuse to believe in something so desperate and as childish as opening a doorway to another world when the only real hope left in this dying one was the Human Instrumentality Project, the path that would unite all of mankind with God.

As he looked at the posts on YouTube again and looked at the reviews left by the people with access to the Internet, Gendo frowned at how many of the videos showing his son with these Pokemon, either through battles, contests or just an introduction to how he either trained or groomed some of them, got over eight-million hits. Sometimes, he wondered if this was an act of God that his son got displaced into another world and went down a path that didn't fit into his own design. And sometimes, he just hated his son almost as much as he hated God himself.

" _So, even though there are still over a thousand Lapras around, they're still considered an endangered species by the point of public opinion?"_ The Fourth Child asked the Third Child as he filmed the boy with a small group of the Transport Pokemon that looked like an aquatic dinosaur or blue version of the fabled Loch Ness Monster.

" _Yes,"_ the Third Child responded. _"Because they're sought after by poachers to either be part of someone's private collection or sold on the open market to the highest bidder and due to their dwindling territories, they're dying out. But capturing a small number of them and breeding them helps to a degree."_

" _And this is why you caught only this group of twenty Lapras?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Yet you don't strike me as a Pokemon Breeder, Shinji."_

" _The path to Pokemon is often unpredictable. Such as the agenda to preserve an endangered species can take years to decades, but one needs to have something just as important as time and resources to fulfill the goal."_

" _And that is?"_

" _Patience. You can't rush into things and then expect to rush out of them. Shall I explain one of the best diets for Lapras?"_

" _Yes, please."_

"This is pathetic," Gendo retorted.

-x-

The crowd was wild with excitement as the match between Shinji Ikari and Seiryu Shores was about to begin! Their passion for the Pokemon League couldn't be contained!

"This crowd is louder than the last one," said Asuka to the others as they sat in the audience, looking down at Shinji as he stood on his side of the arena.

"Eevo," went the Eevee in Hikari's lap, cheering for her trainer while she stood with the crowd.

"I'm kinda glad that Shinji was able to substitute Misato without sending her back to Prof. Oak," the freckled girl confessed.

Even Ms. Katsuragi herself was kind of glad that Shinji's Eevee wouldn't be facing any opposing Pokemon during this match, but was curious as to which Pokemon was being used by Shinji to substitute her.

"Since this conference permits the use of Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, it's probably one of those," suggested Kensuke. "But Shinji's also likely to use a regular Pokemon. He's not easy to read."

"Begin!" The referee shouted, and the match began after both trainers summoned their first Pokemon.

Shinji, who was first up, had summoned his Charizard, Asuka, and Seiryu called out a Nidoqueen; since the latter trainer's Pokemon was a Poison/Ground-Type, the Ground-Type aspect would've made Nidoqueen somewhat resistant to the former's Fire/Flying-Type Pokemon.

"Use Fire Blast, Asuka!" Shinji commanded, and his Charizard did as instructed.

"Use Earth Power, Nidoqueen!" Seiryu ordered.

As the Charizard unleashed a wad of flames that condensed into a character, the Nidoqueen's body outline glowed golden as she slammed her right foot down onto the ground, creating a series of cracks that snaked out towards her opponent. The Charizard saw this and spread her wings to take flight, narrowly avoiding the offensive force of Earth Power while Nidoqueen took on the stinging force of the Fire Blast.

BOOM! The Fire Blast hit its mark, leaving a singed Nidoqueen that was anything but weakened.

"Oh, and what a move on both trainer's Pokemon!" One of the announcers cheered. "The match just started, but already, it feels like both trainers seek to end it!"

"I doubt that much," said Rei in response, looking down at Shinji. "This might be a long match."

-x-

Ritsuko still had the program that could trigger a temporary blackout in the city, but after the revelation that its initial use caused between the disorder on the streets and the four-year gap in the Pokemon world that might've had some repercussions NERV and the Giovanni Corporation might not ever know about fully, she decided that, even though Commander Ikari had ordered her to use the program a second time, she wasn't going to use it. It wasn't like she had complete faith in the Giovanni Corporation's ability to access other dimensions or because she could live without seeing Rei at the base for extended periods and not have to deal with her, but rather because the Third Child's absence was affecting everyone with his posted exploits on YouTube. While the MAGI could've been used to delete the posted footage, Ritsuko wouldn't have done such an act, either.

"Maybe I should've gone into the alternate energy business," she sighed as she sat at her desk in her office. "That or just Apple."

Now she was wondering how Shinji's absence could have affected her the way it was affecting others when he was just a pilot lost in another world where he changed professions. Initially, as with all the pilots, she had been willing to sacrifice Shinji if it meant defeating the Angels and, in a weird way, she did sacrifice him to defeat one Angel, but after discovering that he was still alive, it was hard to wonder what, if at all, the boy thought about her if he knew what she did to cause the Twelfth Angel's demise that might've left him displaced in the world he was living in. After discovering that Misato could venture subconsciously to the other world, she didn't deny the fear that she could've told Shinji that it was her and Commander Ikari's decision to bomb the Angel just to salvage Unit-01, not thinking about what this attempt could've done to him if he even survived.

"Hmm?" She looked on her computer at the YouTube site, finding a piece of posted footage that read, _Pokemon Lab Visit Part 3_. "Let's have a look see."

She clicked on the video and looked at what was recorded. It was fuzzy at first, but then it corrected itself as the Fourth Child's face appeared in front of the camera.

" _Are we filming, Kensuke?"_ She heard Shinji's voice as the camera was turned onto the Third Child.

" _We're filming, Shinji,"_ Kensuke responded, showing an outside view of a small town with a large building with a windmill of sorts. _"So, after getting third place in the Kanto Pokemon League, what are your plans for later?"_

" _Once we've all recovered from the conference and restocked on supplies, we'll head west to the Johto Region and try for the Silver Conference."_

The boys met with a man they addressed as Prof. Oak, and he led them out to an expansive patch of land that was occupied by various Pokemon that appeared to roam freely.

" _How have the Pokemon I caught and sent back here been doing, Prof. Oak?"_ Shinji had asked him.

" _Many of them have well-behaved,"_ he explained, _"though the two Abra you caught from the Safari Zone have been temperamental."_

" _I should figure out nicknames for them. Male or female?"_

" _Female. Both of them."_

" _And where are they right now?"_

Then, as if to save the man the time to answer the boy, two humanoid, fox-like creatures manifested in front of the trio.

" _Hocus and Pocus,"_ Shinji sighed with a smile.

" _Hocus and Pocus?"_ Kensuke asked him.

To be continued…

A/N: I'm going to post a challenge for the readers so that they can try to guess which Pokemon Shinji will use in place of his Eevee in his match against Seiryu Shores.


	21. Into the Night

Creation began on 11-04-17

Creation ended on 12-22-17

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Into the Night

Thud! Seiryu's Nidoqueen fell from exhaustion whilst Shinji's Charizard still stood, though panting from her own fatigue.

"Nidoqueen is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Charizard wins the first round!"

The audience cheered Shinji's victory over Seiryu's first Pokemon sent out to battle.

"Way to go, you two!" Toji cheered them.

Seiryu recalled his Nidoqueen and sighed.

"Good work, Nidoqueen," he told his fallen Pokemon in its ball, and then replaced it with a new Great Ball. "I said I looked forward to our match, Ikari, and you don't disappoint. Even your Charizard is at the top of its game."

"Thank you," Shinji praised him.

"But can you fare against this next challenge? Come out…Regirock!"

From out of the Great Ball came a Pokemon unlike any Shinji had seen within the Sinnoh Region. It was some sort of humanoid made out of rocks with small, brownish-red stones on the head-like portion that resembled an "H", some sort of patchwork creature made of rocks.

"So, that's a Regirock," he responded to such a sight, actually impressed. "Asuka, can you still fight or do you need a break?"

His Charizard looked at him and gave him a thumbs down gesture with her left claw.

"Alright, then," he accepted, recalling her back into her Great Ball, replacing it with a new ball. "You're up next, Rei!"

His Shiny Gyarados appeared, glistening from her recent bathing.

"Rrrrraaurgh!" She roared, looking down at her Rock-Type opponent.

-x-

"…Have you or Shinji ever seen this Regirock before?" Misato asked Kensuke as the battle began anew.

"Not in person, but I've seen a picture of it before," he answered her, holding up Shinji's Sinnoh Region Pokedex, accessing the database for the desired creature.

"Regirock, the Rock Peak Pokemon," said Dexter. "Generally found in cave systems, Regirock exhibits a configuration of rocks from multiple times and areas that make up its body. Because of this, it is believed that it can repair itself simply by gathering new rocks should it ever suffer damage."

"Wow," went Toji.

-x-

"Hmm?" Fuyutsuki went, having arrived at the research and development facility after he was done at NERV HQ for the day, seeing several of the personnel either asleep, about to go to sleep, or were getting wired on coffee and caffeine.

Even Palkia was asleep where it sat as it was being filmed by the camera equipment to ensure the continued connection to the Pokemon world.

Antonio, among the few that were still awake, yawned as he sat in front of the console as he wrote down a few notes.

"How long has it been?" Fuyutsuki asked him as he came over, curious.

"Eight hours straight," he answered back. "Shinji's match against this Seiry Shores fellow has progressed into the evening hours where they are."

"His matches aren't normally this long?"

"Nope. Sometimes, they go for half an hour. Sometimes, they go for ten minutes. It varies, depending on the type of Pokemon used. But Shinji and Seiryu seem to have amped up their stamina to make them fight longer. More stamina means more energy to exploit through activity. So far, this six-on-six match has only led to Shinji being reduced to five of his own while Seiryu has only four Pokemon left to use. Shinji's Gyarados fell after defeating Seiryu's Regirock and getting defeated by his Dragonite. Dragon Pokemon aren't as easy to beat as most other Pokemon tend to be."

On the screens, Fuyutsuki saw Shinji standing on his side of the stadium field, illuminated by the lights, almost as though he were being judged by the people in a way. On another screen were the other pilots and Major Katsuragi, whom all looked concerned for Shinji. Then the boy held up an Ultra Ball and threw it in front of him, unleashing his Mewtwo.

"Oh, and Shinji's made his third choice to send out his Mewtwo!" The announcers yelled. "It's Psychic vs. Dragon! Who will have the edge?"

Suddenly, the Mewtwo, Master, glowed as it changed its appearance. It then looked stronger, tougher.

"Incredible," said Seiryu to Shinji. "Your Pokemon being capable of Mega Evolution without the need for stones is amazing. You must've been born under a lucky star to get where you are tonight."

"Thank you. After you."

"Dragon Rage, Dragonite!"

"Counter with Psychic, Master!"

The orange, winged reptile spat bluish-red fire at the Mega Evolved Mewtwo, who responded with a release of psychokinetic energy that took control of the opposing attack and redirected it back to Seiryu's Pokemon.

-x-

It was hardly his Dragonite that caused Rei to fall. No, it was mere exhaustion after fighting a Rock Pokemon that had been specifically trained to withstand any Water-Type attack used against it. It wasn't something Shinji had anticipated, but it was quite a feat that likely increased his Gyarados' confidence because she had beaten another Legendary Pokemon that most others had difficulty with, even though it was at the cost of most of her strength. All that needed to happen now was for the remaining four Pokemon Seiryu had to win the match that would earn them their shot against the Elite Four, and Shinji needed to believe in his Pokemon and himself more than ever.

Master's Psychic attack took control of the Dragon Rage and sent it back to Dragonite, which took to the air and dodged the redirected attack.

"Orgh!" Dragonite growled.

"In the end, we can only try our best in the face of adversity," Master told the Dragonite.

"Orgh."

Shinji looked at Seiryu and felt like this was going to be a very long battle as the sky slowly lost its sunlight and the feeling of a streetlight somewhere came to life in the town.

-x-

"…Tell me, Sakuya, how good is the broadcast conditions for Tokyo-3?" Antonio asked a woman in charge of another console in the large room.

"Conditions look green, sir," she answered him.

"I guess we can try to excite the nightlife for the time being."

"You want to broadcast Shinji's Pokemon match out to the city?" Fuyutsuki questioned, curious as to what this could do.

"After getting nearly a billion hits on each video posted on YouTube, the people have something…and someone to talk about that reaches out to them, appeals to their imagination, and inspires them. I originally wanted to try this on his future match against the current Sinnoh Leage Champion, but that's going to be for another time."

"But is that a good thing to do?"

"We let that be for the people to decide."

-x-

Sakura Suzuhara stirred in her sleep as she was awoken by someone from her hospital bed.

"Mmm… What…what?" She reacted, opening her eyes and seeing her grandfather with a look of excitement. "Grandpa? What is it?"

"A Pokemon match is being broadcasted throughout the city's jumbotrons," he revealed. "Your brother's friend is on. Everyone is watching."

He then helped out of bed and into a wheelchair, then took her to the roof of the hospital, where several other patients, doctors and nurses that were off duty were watching the large screens outside on the sides of other buildings.

Sakura's eyes readjusted to the bright lights as she felt awakened by the sight of the boy that had been taken from this world and put into another one, fighting against a man that was older than himself in the chill of the night, illuminated by the lights. The boy seemed happy to be surrounded by many hundreds of people wherever he was right now.

"That's Shinji Ikari," she uttered. "He's in a big Pokemon match."

"That must be his toughest opponent yet," said a boy on her left with his left leg in a cast. "Look at his Mewtwo. He calls it the Master of Its Own Destiny or something like that."

"That other guy's Pokemon," went a female nurse, pointing to the orange creature, "that must be a Dragonite. So awesome!"

Out on the streets and sidewalks, people that had watched on YouTube the recorded exploits of this lost man were watching his latest match that was current. This was someone that their kids or neighbors couldn't stop talking about, a virtual nobody that was walked out on by his pathetic father shortly after the death of his mother, drafted into a crazy conflict with giant monsters that he knew virtually nothing of until after his father sent for him, with absolutely no guarantee of coming back alive. A young man out of time and space due to an incident beyond any sense of his control…and trying to navigate his way through a place he was managing to fit in…in order to find his way back.

"My daughters love the creatures he caught," a young mother told some of her friends.

"My cousins, they have dreams about his adventures," an elderly man added.

"Let's end this with Psycho Cut, Master!" Shinji commanded, and his Mewtwo unleashed a purple wave of energy at the Dragonite.

"Orgh!" The Dragonite groaned, covered in scrapes and panting.

"You can't continue after that attack," Shinji said, feeling like his Pokemon needed a break. "No way."

The people saw the Dragonite owned by the other guy fall to the ground.

"Dragonite is unable to continue," the referee announced. "Mewtwo wins this round!"

The crowd in the stadium cheered for Shinji and the people watching on the screens cheered for him, too. This was unlike the previous posts on YouTube by one of the kids that knew the guy; it was happening now and they weren't in front of a computer, tablet or their cell phones. And it was incredible to watch it live.

-x-

Gendo really hated that he was becoming the last person to find out about what was going on around him that could've or couldn't have interfered with his scenario. The fact that many NERV personnel were looking at a city-wide pirate broadcast that showed the Third Child in one of his ridiculous matches with some other person in Central Dogma and on their terminals.

"What is this?" He demanded from one of the lower personnel workers.

"A current match in the Sinnoh League, sir," she answered him, just as the guy Shinji was facing recalled his defeated Dragonite. "It was broadcast by the Giovanni Corporation just a half hour ago."

"A powerful adversary with Pokemon that might as well be considered very powerful," the guy told Shinji, replacing the ball containing the Dragonite with a different one. "I must say, you're one of the best Pokemon Trainers I've encountered, Mr. Ikari. Just as it was said long ago to praise your adversary and let them revel in their success."

"Thank you," Shinji responded.

"Shut it off," Gendo ordered the girl.

"Sir?"

"Shut this off," he reiterated with more coldness. "We don't have time for such nonsense."

"We can't shut off a broadcast we have no authority to shut down, sir," another male worker informed him. "Plus, some people are betting money on Shinji to be the champion of this region's league."

"Which is nonsense we don't have time for. Shut it down."

Gendo was clearly not the understanding type when it came to his son and what he did while in the Pokemon world trying to get back here.

"Okay, but if the people can't watch down here will go watch it out there in the city."

As the current streaming of Shinji's Pokemon match was cut off, as though by instinct, several of the workers got up and vacated the large room.

"What is wrong with you people?" Gendo muttered.

-x-

"…Uh, Mr. Giovanni, we have quite a thing here," one of the guys in charge of keeping the streaming broadcast clean told him, checking the number of people watching in the city. "Over half the city is watching."

"It's amazing," said Fuyutsuki, stunned by the impact that Shinji was having upon the city as a Pokemon Trainer in a match to move up the ranks to become the champion.

"My God, even the police are watching," a woman revealed. "Looks like those videos of Shinji visiting where they train Pokemon to help the police force impressed some of them."

"Growlithe, Haunter and Spinarak do make effective partners when criminals use Pokemon to commit crimes," Antonio expressed.

"My next Pokemon is just as strong as my Dragonite," the man told Shinji. "Come out…Salamence!"

From out the Poke Ball came a large, blue, four-legged dragon with large, red wings.

-x-

Shinji should've been terrified by Salamence, as it was a Dragon Pokemon that he had some difficulty facing every now and then. But not this trainer. Shinji was not terrified at all by such a strong Pokemon that could possibly take on an army if enraged.

"Yeah!" He expressed.

"He's not worried?" Misato asked Kensuke.

"He admires the strength of Salamence," the otaku explained. "The question now is which of his five Pokemon he has left that will face this one. Master is still standing, but he looks like he needs a break."

"The fact that he can't use his Gyarados anymore is quite a potential disadvantage for him," said Hikari as she stroked Shinji's Eevee.

"Adaptation, Class Rep.," went Toji. "Shinji has to consider every alternative for each challenge. Each Pokemon faced brings a different challenge. Type, level, experience and training determine the performance of each Pokemon against other Pokemon."

Out of the field, Shinji recalled Master and substituted him with a different Pokemon.

"Give it your all, Sandabado!" He shouted, releasing his Zapdos, igniting the crowd into a frenzy of excitement over such a sight.

"Oh, it's incredible!" One of the announcers cheered. "For his fourth choice, Shinji has gone with a Zapdos! Another Legendary Pokemon!"

"Gott im Himmel!" Asuka gasped, even though she had seen this Pokemon of Shinji's before. "Shinji, I don't know whether to hug you or punch you half the time."

Sandabado flew around the stadium before setting foot on Shinji's side of the field.

"Are you ready?" Shinji asked Sandabado.

"Zaaaah!" Sandabado screeched, flaring its wings out in front of Seiryu's Salamence, trying to intimidate it. "Zaaah!"

"Begin!" The referee declared.

"Steel Wing, Salemence!" Seiryu commanded, and Salamence took the darkening skies on glowing wings as it began charging its chosen attack.

"Use Thunder Wave, Sandabado!" Shinji countered; while Thunder Wave won't harm Salamence in the physical and stamina sense, it will paralyze it enough to keep it from attacking for as long as possible.

His Zapdos spread its wings and unleashed electrical waves from them, sending them out in front towards the Salamence, which continued its assault on the Legendary Pokemon.

SLASH! The Steel Wing attack hit its mark and Sandabado was sent falling backwards onto the ground, losing some strength, but not enough to put it down.

It got back up and flared its wings again.

"Why did he use that attack?" Hikari asked. "It didn't look like it did anything."

"Thunder Wave isn't a physical attack," explained Rei. "The Pokemon affected by Thunder Wave become afflicted with paralyzes. Salamence won't be able to attack as much as it could now, allowing for Shinji's Zapdos to weaken it or defeat it."

"What's more is that some Pseudo-Lendendary Pokemon like Salamence aren't up to par with Legendary Pokemon like Zapdos," added Kensuke.

"Pseudo-Ledendary Pokemon?" Misato asked, curious.

"Certain Pokemon, like Dragonite, Tyranitar and Metagross are considered so powerful under certain circumstances that they're considered almost legendary," the otaku explained. "But because they're just difficult to find, capture and train most of the time, they're not truly rare and therefore not truly legendary; anyone that has a Larvitar can raise it until it becomes a Tyranitar. Anyone that has a Dratini can raise it to become a Dragonite."

"Okay, Sandabado, show Salamence your Thunder attack!" Shinji suggested, and his Zapdos took to the air.

"Zaaaahh!" It shrieked, spreading out its wings as its electrical aura emanated from its body.

Rumble! The clouds that blackened the skies roared with thunder as a massive bolt of lightning shot out from them onto Salamence!

"Sal!" Salamence cried out as it was heavily injured by the electrical attack. "Salamence!"

-x-

"Whoo-hoo!" Shigeru cheered for Shinji's comeback attack, happy that he left the Geo-Front just in time to catch the Thunder attack on one of the jumbotrons on the buildings.

"Un-freaking-believable!" Hyuga added. "The more I watch, the more I know I can't disbelieve!"

They, among other members of NERV's personnel force, practically went and mutiny against Commander Ikari in favor of watching the current match between Shinji and his opponent.

This was something that Gendo couldn't and wouldn't tolerate, as he was accessing the MAGI to try and shut down the pirate broadcast. In his mind, this broadcast was just another distraction that blinded people to the importance of NERV's responsibility to eradicate the Angels and the need of the Instrumentality Project and the goal of his scenario.

"It's not worth it," he heard a female voice say to him from behind, and he turned and saw Ritsuko. "Whatever you're trying to do about the broadcast, that is."

"This is irrelevant," he told her. "This broadcast is a complete waste of time and resources. How does this aid in interdimensional travel? And the attention they give the Third Child is a waste, as well. He's not some hero. He's not some role model for people to look up to. He's a…"

"He's what, Ikari?" Ritsuko questioned him, wanting to know what his feelings were towards his son's predicament. "What is he to you? What is he really to you?"

"He's a disappointment that questions everything and got lost in another world where he needs to acquire specific creatures to return to this one…and he's not acquired them at all and spends his time competing in these pointless competitions when he should be focusing on finding his way back here to pilot the Eva. That's what he is."

Ritsuko looked at a random console that showed the broadcast where Shinji's Zapdos had took to the air again and attacked the Salamence with its beak.

"We don't even know if he could still pilot the Eva if he did get back to this world," she told him. "Physically, he doesn't look like he's aged much, but due to the blackout we instigated in an attempt to keep the Fourth Child in check, he went from being fourteen to eighteen because we needed the pilots we have left ready to face the Angels. For all we know, he might not be capable of piloting the Eva, anymore. So even if he does get back, he won't be able to pilot, meaning we tried to force a result we never should've to begin with. And you know something else? For a while, after finding out that he was alive and adjusting in another world that has no global threats, I wondered if he blamed me for his displacement, since the priority at that time with the Twelfth Angel was to retrieve the Eva, with absolutely no regard for his life if he even survived having close to a thousand N² explosives dropped and detonated into the Dirac Sea that made up the Angel's body. I still don't know if he does blame me because I don't know if Major Katsuragi or the pilots told him anything relating to the incident. And I gotta hand it to Shinji. For a young man that used to be coping with doing whatever people told him to do, he's definitely become independent and makes his own decisions that affect those around him. If he has to catch specific Pokemon in order to get back here, he'll do so at his own pace, not anyone else's. We might be working on a clock here, but over there…he has all the time he could ask for in the world to go along with the space that he never asked for."

"Your point being?"

"You can't use the MAGI to interfere with or shut down the broadcast. The people want to see what Shinji sees. They want to see what he'll do next, what he'll say, who he'll meet as time moves on. Maybe he's been reduced to another form of entertainment, or another would-be idol that attracts the masses more than pop singers do. Who knows for sure? This…just brings people closer to him…and he's a whole a universe away…and you can't be proud of him…for any of it…because, to you, he's just a disappointment…and nothing more."

Ritsuko then walked away, leaving him alone; after she shared with him her peace of mind over what happened, she never thought that she would view the younger Ikari with more acceptability than the elder Ikari.

 _Where have I gone wrong over all this time?_ She wondered as she prepared to leave the Geo-Front.

-x-

A Drill Peck from Sandabado had delivered a very effective assault on Seiryu's Salamence. And while Shinji had trained it after catching it, he hadn't expected it to be quite strong against the Dragon Pokemon. No, he expected Seiryu to have trained it to be a powerhouse.

"Sal… Sal…" Salamence panted.

"Salamence, return," Seiryu commanded, recalling his Pokemon back into his ball and replacing it with an Ultra Ball. "If I'm going to defeat your Zapdos, I'll have to bring out my best fighter ahead of schedule. You're in for a treat, Ikari. Come out, Golurk!"

The Ultra Ball opened and unleashed a Pokemon the likes of which Shinji hadn't seen before. It looked like…an over-sized suit of armor of a greenish color with yellow swirls on its shoulders and a small head and a brownish, belt-like patch over a large crack on its chest.

"Go…Golurk?" Shinji asked him.

"From the Unova Region," Seiryu explained. "Let's see how you fare against a Pokemon from a region you're not familiar with."

Another Pokemon from the Unova Region that he had yet to see…and another sneak peek at what was in store for any that thought of going there. Since he didn't know what type of Pokemon Golurk was, Shinji had to wing it with Sandabado. And if winging it didn't work, he still had his Charizard, Mewtwo, Mew and his Eevee's substitute for this match. He had faith in them, and they never disappointed him; he was never disappointed with any of them.

 _Golurk could be another dual-type between Rock and Ground,_ he thought, _but the way it looks just has me concerned that it might only have one of those types or is just something else entirely. If either one is true, then Sandabado won't be effective against it. My best bet would be to use an attack to test my deduction out on it._

-x-

"Mister Shores is certainly confident that this new Pokemon of his will stop Shinji," said Hikari to the others.

"It's only because Shinji's never seen it before," explained Kensuke. "Because he doesn't know what type it is, he's left to make guesses based on looks alone. It looks like a Rock-Type, but could just be Ground-Type. You never know what you're facing until after you face it."

"Use Drill Peck again, Sandabado!" They heard Shinji command his Zapdos, and the electrical avian carried out its command, unleashing a drilling motion of energy from its beak.

"Aaaurgh!" Sandabado shrieked, hitting Golurk in its left shoulder, but the attack was probably a double-edged sword of sorts because the Legendary Pokemon recoiled as it flew backwards. "Guurgh!"

"Golurk!" Golurk grunted, appearing barely affected by the attack. "Lurk!"

"Oh, and what a move on Shinji's part!" The female announcer yelled. "Once more pitted against a Pokemon from a region he hasn't been to, and he refuses to let intimidation bring his team down! What will Seiryu Shores do?"

"Yet the differences between the two Pokemon's typing may result in a clashing of the titans!" One of the two male announcers stated, which indicated they knew something about Golurk that Shinji was forced to make guesses at due to his lack of experience with it.

"Kensuke," went Asuka to the boy that was just as old as Shinji was in this world due to the time gap, "didn't Shinji update his Pokedex encyclopedia to include Pokemon from the Unova Region?"

"Shinji was unable to on account of needing to get in contact with a professor from that region," he explained to her. "He has no choice right now but to take his chances with a creature he's never faced before and hope that his Pokemon are able to beat it."

"Like before with Garbodor," stated Misato. "He only knew what type it was because its trainer specialized in specific Pokemon. A trainer that has no preference in type is an unpredictable opponent."

"Eee?" Shinji's Eevee went, looking down at her trainer.

"Hmm?" Hikari added, confused. "What's going on?"

For some reason, Shinji just seemed to be momentarily distracted by something, like something beyond the match had caught his attention. And it wasn't just the rising trainer; whatever he appeared to be distracted by, if he was even distracted, it was affecting the entire stadium.

-x-

Palkia opened its eyes and awoke from its slumber, wondering what was going on…and noticed how several of the people in the room were transfixed on the screens displaying the lost boy.

"Such a strange sense of energy is being emanated by the boy and is spreading like a breeze in the wind," it uttered, feeling such energy…and felt as though its own presence was amplifying the energy. "People are reacting to his displaced presence."

-x-

Sakura no longer felt like she was watching Shinji on a big screen. No, she felt like she was watching him…in person, close enough to get a grand view…but far away as to provide the guy his personal space. Looking around herself, she found others, the same people that she saw earlier when her grandfather came and showed her the broadcast.

He was looking back at her, at them, as though they were all occupying the same space.

"You're an amazing Pokemon Trainer, Shinji Ikari," a young woman uttered to the boy.

"Man, my kids can't stop talking about you," a man added.

"Win this match!" A little boy cheered.

Then, before she could say anything to the boy, he turned to see everyone watching him, as if trying to see for himself if they were truly there.

-x-

Gendo really didn't like that the people on the street were watching his son and just wanted them to cease paying him any attention as he found various people on the street looking at the building screens at the Third Child. He wasn't even doing anything important that could save any of them, he was just serving as a pathetic form of entertainment with these creatures he had in his possession. Creatures that he saw as potential weapons for NERV.

"Are you people crazy, watching this?!" He asked, getting some of their attention. "This is meaningless! Stop watching him! He's not worth it!"

"What's it to you?" A woman asked him. "Mind your own business."

"He's a disgrace! He's not even trying to find his way back here, even after he found out how to get back here! What he's doing right now is a complete waste of time!"

Then, three cops came up from behind him and removed him for disturbing the peace and harassment.

-x-

Then, as soon as the phenomenon occurred, it ended…and Shinji was back in the stadium, surrounded by the masses that were in attendance, facing his current opponent. It was quite an incredible experience; he hadn't seen so many people looking at him, like he was all there was to look at. Never before had he felt so…so appreciated by the masses.

"You must've had quite an epiphany or some sort of daydream to stand quietly for a whole minute," said Seiryu to him.

"Just a quiet glimpse back to a place I used to live in," he explained with a smile. "Tell me, do you have people waiting for you back home?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then, that's a good thing. Use Thunder, Sandabado!"

His Zapdos flew high into the night sky and unleashed its most devastating attack, filling the entire stadium with electrical light!

"GO!" Golurk groaned, somewhat weakened, but still standing. "Lurk!"

"Haaaurgh!" Sandabado cried, lowering back to the ground.

"What a move, people!" The announcers yelled. "Shinji's Zapdos illuminated the whole stadium and Golurk still stands!"

Fortunately, the attack was necessary for Shinji to confirm something for himself…and it was that there was no chance of Sandabado's attacks having much effect on this Pokemon, meaning he needed a new strategy to beat it.

 _I have Master, Hikari, Asuka and my secret weapon if necessary,_ he thought, choosing to save his substitute for Misato as a last resort. _I'll give Hikari of Light a chance to shine._

"Use Mega Punch, Golurk!" Seiryu commanded, and Golurk's arms glowed with energy as it charged towards Sandabado.

PUNCH! Its left arm made contact with the Zapdos and sent it flying backwards to the ground, injuring it, but not enough to put it out of the match.

"Haaaurgh!" Sandabado cawed, still standing strong, despite the blow it took to its left wing.

"Return for now, Sandabado," Shinji ordered, recalling his Pokemon back into its ball and throwing out one of his Ultra Balls. "Show us what you have, Hikari of Light!"

The ball burst opened and revealed his Mew.

"Mew," Hikari of Light uttered, floating telekinetically in the air, looking at Golurk.

"Oh! Oh! Now, this is something here!" The female announcer shouted to the crowd. "Shinji has substituted his Zapdos with a Mew! Considered the rarest and most powerful of all Pokemon! Who is this kid?!"

"A Mew?!" Seiryu gasped; he had read the boy's profile, but he hadn't anticipated that Shinji had a Mew in his possession. _This young man has no idea how many would pay just to see a live Mew._

"I may not have any clue as to what type of Pokemon your Golurk is, Seiryu, but let's see how it fares against my latest Psychic-Type," Shinji told him, confident in his Mew's abilities.

-x-

"It looks like Shinji's going for broke with his Mew," said Asuka.

"You never know for sure, Asuka," went Hikari. "Psychic Pokemon are among the strongest when trained to do their best. And Shinji's Mewtwo demonstrated absolutely no fear against any Ghost Pokemon he went up against."

"It isn't so much as the strength of the mind as it is the strength and tenacity of the will," explained Kensuke. "Ghost Pokemon can install fear to chaos the mind, but if Psychic Pokemon are focused only on their persistence, they can overcome their fear, whatever it is. What if this Golurk of Mr. Shores is part Ghost-Type?"

"Then Shinji's in for quite a challenge," responded Toji.

"A Ghost/Ground-Type, perhaps?" Misato suggested. "Based on its appearance, it would be like a golem haunted and possessed by a spirit."

-x-

"Looks like everyone's stopped doing what they were doing to watch the match," said the guy in front of the console to Antonio and Fuyutsuki. "It's incredible."

"Extremely incredible," Antonio agreed.

-x-

"Shadow Punch, Golurk!" Seiryu ordered, and his Pokemon charged towards Shinji's Mew, its right arm glowing purple.

"Golurk!" It grunted, taking aim and unleashing its attack at the Mew.

"Dodge and use Psychic, Hikari!" Shinji responded, and his Mew floated to the right as her body glowed to unleash her Psychic attack.

"Mew," Hikari uttered, focusing enough to negate the Shadow Punch.

Then, responding to her trainer's command, glowed a bluish outline and caused Golurk's body to glow a bluish outline, as well.

Golurk was lifted two feet off the ground and thrown backwards back onto it.

"Golurk!" It groaned as got back up, still having a lot of fight in it.

-x-

Through the power of FaceTime on every phone and tablet within reach, the broadcast in Tokyo-3 was reaching across the archipelago to friends and relations that lived elsewhere, and they were broadcasting it to friends and relations further away, trying to share as much of the current Pokemon match as possible.

-x-

"Go! Night Shade, Golurk!" Seiryu commanded.

"Counter with Energy Ball, Hikari!" Shinji responded.

Golurk began to generate a dark sphere of energy in its left arm while Hikari of Light began to generate a ball of green energy in between her arms.

They both unleashed their respective attacks and they collided, creating a massive, shockwave explosion, blinding the entire stadium!

"Aaurgh!" Seiryu grunted, shielding his eyes from the light.

"Waah!" Shinji gasped, doing the same.

When the light faded, the entire crowd was in awe at the result! Both Golurk and Hikari of Light were on the ground, incapacitated.

Shinji could feel Hikari's strength drained down to the very limit for the time…and there was not enough for her to use Recover and replenish her health.

 _I'm sorry, Hikari of Light,_ he apologized to her.

 _It's okay, Shinji,_ he heard her voice in his mind. _One for all, all for one. Golurk won't be able to continue. You know what to do._

"Unbelievable!" One of the male announcers yelled. "It's a double K.O.!"

"Golurk and Mew are both unable to battle any further," the referee declared.

-x-

"…His Mew was beaten?" Hikari questioned, confused with the way this battle turned out. "But I thought Mew was among the most powerful."

"Powerful, yes," Kensuke explained, "but not invincible. Plus, Shinji only caught her recently, so he didn't have as much time training her as he would his other Pokemon."

"This leaves him with only four Pokemon left in this match," said Rei, "and Mr. Shores with only two Pokemon left. Hang in there, Shinji."

The friends and guardian of Shinji saw as both trainers recalled their defeated Pokemon back into their Poke Balls and pondered what type of Pokemon Seiryu Shores would release against Shinji. With the opposing trainer only having two left to use, his chances seemed very slim. But at the same time, his chances seemed heightened.

"I didn't think I'd ever face a Mew before or end up in a double knock out," went Seiryu, holding out a Great Ball in his left hand. "It's…quite the shocker when you let it sink in. I've never had this much excitement in any match before I met you. I really must thank you, Shinji Ikari."

"Same here, Seiryu Shores," Shinji replied, holding another Ultra Ball. "This is an exhilarating match. I look forward to seeing how this ends, for better or for worse."

"My thoughts exactly. Here's my next move! Go…Throh!"

Throwing the Great Ball onto the field, Seiryu unleashed his chosen Pokemon in the sixth slot.

Shinji prepared for the unexpected; whatever this Throh was, it had to be incredibly strong, which would make defeating it more rewarding.

The light unleashed took form…and revealed a human-sized, humanoid creature (about four feet in height) with a reddish skin coloration and two hands with only three digits. It appeared to be a male, based on its physique, dressed in a white garment similar to those that studied under the martial arts, but what really took Shinji by surprise was the dark, "T"-like feature on its head, appearing to form a nose and brow for its face.

"Whoa…" Shinji quietly gasped; if this was another Pokemon from the Unova Region, then it was an unexpected treat to meet three different Pokemon from a place he had every intention on going to much after the Sinnoh Region.

"Is that another Fighting-Type?" Asuka wondered.

"It looks like one," Toji suggested. "A strong one, too."

"A Fighting-Type and a Dragon-Type left for Seiry Shores," went Kensuke. "His Salamence was injured by Shinji's Zapdos, so it'll still need to rest up before being sent back out. So, I guess this…Throh is his final gambit. If he can hold out with these two, he might be able to beat Shinji."

"Do you really think that Mr. Shores will be able to defeat Shinji," asked Misato, "who seems to have the edge due to having four more Pokemon left to use against this Throh and Salamence?"

"Eevo," added the Eevee; she clearly had faith in her trainer's ability to win this match.

"Knowing Shinji, the chances of him winning are slim. Not slim to none. Just slim."

"And if he made his entire roster of Pokemon his most strongest?" Asuka suggested.

"Then I would say that his chances of winning are assured."

They saw Shinji throw a ball that released his Mewtwo onto the field.

"So far, his Legendary and Mythical Pokemon have consisted of his Zapdos, Mew and now Mewtwo," said Toji. "His other two Pokemon were his Gyarados and Charizard. He must've wanted to win so much that those two are his only regular Pokemon."

"We won't know for sure…until we see his sixth Pokemon," stated Hikari to him. "It could be any type meant to substitute his Eevee."

-x-

"…Oh, man," said Antonio as he saw Shinji's Mewtwo on the field in front of this Throh Pokemon. "This just keeps getting better and better."

"You can say that again," agreed Fuyutsuki, though he would keep his cheers for Shinji until after he won the match against his opponent.

"The broadcast is trending like crazy over FaceTime links," a woman informed them. "It's gotta be reaching out to almost half the country."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it spread further than that," they heard Palkia say. "Such influence may not know few boundaries…or have few boundaries."

-x-

"Prepare for battle," went Master, and then he Mega Evolved into one of the two forms he possessed, appearing larger and bulkier, as if this was a version of Mewtwo that was designed for fighting over the previous version.

"Begin!" The referee announced.

"Throh, use Strength!" Seiryu commanded.

"You use your Strength, too, Master!" Shinji told his Mewtwo.

CLASH-SLAM! Master and Throh locked arms in the middle of the field, trying to force the other back with their overwhelming force.

 _Such power!_ Shinji and Seiryu both thought, impressed by the other's Pokemon.

Throh grunted as it managed to push Master back by two feet, but Master caught his second wind and pushed Throh back by four more feet.

"Psychic, Master!" Shinji commanded, and his Mewtwo's body glowed the blue outline.

"Quick, Throh! Mega Punch!" Seiryu yelled.

As it felt the effects of Psychic being unleashed upon it, Throh unleashed the pent-up force of its Mega Punch upon Master, but the Genetic Pokemon didn't so much as flinch from being decked in the face.

"You're strong," Master told Throh, "but it takes more than just the power of the body."

"Throh! Throh!" Throh grunted, being lifted off its feet.

"Strength of the mind will grant additional advantages to the strength of the body."

Through the Psychic attack, Master threw Throh across the field.

"Throh!" It grunted, and then got back up.

"Your Throh is strong, Mr. Shores," went Shinji.

"Same with your Mewtwo," responded Seiryu. "Throh, use Body Slam!"

Throh charged towards Master and jumped into the air above.

"Strength, Master!" Shinji gasped; he usually expected Body Slam attacks from larger, heavier Pokemon like Snorlax, Ursaring, Onix or Golem, not Fighting-Type Pokemon because he hardly ever had Pokemon smaller than them.

SLAM! Master caught Throh before the full force of Body Slam could be unleashed upon him, and felt the pressure in his bones from the failed impact.

"Grr," Shinji grunted, feeling Master's pain. _I'm gonna be feeling that later on._

Master then threw Throh again.

"Recover, Master," Shinji told his Mewtwo, and the Genetic Pokemon expanded a field of greenish energy around its body, removing any injuries sustained from the failed Body Slam attack.

"Use Bulk Up, Throh!" Seiryu commanded, and his Judo Pokemon became surrounded in a crimson aura whilst flexing its body for a few seconds.

Shinji and Master could see that it appeared to be some sort of performance-enhancing move, like several others seen over the years, and Throh was now a little stronger than it had been previously.

"Oh! Oh! What a shocker here, ladies and gentlemen!" The female announcer shouted. "If Shinji has no clue, Bulk Up increases the attack strength of Throh, making it stronger than before!"

Shinji turned his head slightly towards the crowd, looking at his friends and guardian, seeing that they were still encouraging him to keep going. Even his Eevee raised her left paw up and waved at him. He then turned back to Throh and Seiryu; the opposing trainer seemed almost like he had the edge, despite having only two Pokemon left. But he had the edge, as well; nobody except Prof. Oak knew what his sixth Pokemon was, thus leaving him with an advantage over the battle.

"Bulk Up again, Throh!" Seiryu commanded, and Throh increased its attack strength again, becoming stronger than it previously had been a moment ago. "Now, Mega Punch!"

"Psycho Cut, Master!" Shinji told his Master, and the Genetic Pokemon unleashed his attack at the same time as Throh unleashed its own attack, made much stronger due to the increased attack strength.

BLAST! The two attacks collided…and Master was sent flying backwards onto the ground, back to Shinji, who was now sporting a scrape mark on his left check, identical to where Master was hit.

"Throh is…much stronger than even I had anticipated," Master groaned as he got back onto his feet.

"Are you alright, Master?" Shinji asked him, feeling something other than saliva in his mouth. "Can you keep going?"

"Can you?"

Shinji raised his right hand to his mouth and felt something starting to seep out, and didn't flinch at the sight of his blood mixed in with his saliva. He expected something like this due to facing stronger Pokemon Trainers, taking stronger hits alongside his own Pokemon. It was nothing he wouldn't recover from later alongside them or sooner if Master could use Recover again.

"I'm fine," he told him. "Just a scratch."

"I can still use Recover. Shall I?"

"Yes, please."

And Master performed his Recover move again, and all of his injuries shared with Shinji at a lesser degree were undone.

"We're going to need to go harder to win this," Shinji suggested.

"Exactly," Master agreed with him.

-x-

"…Incredible," went Ritsuko as she saw the scene where Shinji's Mewtwo regenerated from its injuries and the boy himself seemed to recover from his own injury to his face.

Standing out amongst the crowd of people in front of the large screens in the city, the faux-blond couldn't believe how many of them actually stopped doing what they were doing just to watch Shinji's broadcasted match. It was…many times greater than simply monitoring an Eva battle against an Angel because there was no threat to the world.

"Every time their Pokemon get hurt, they get hurt," a little girl said to her father.

"It's a deep and mystical bond between them," the father explained. "They work as a team."

 _Almost like with the Eva,_ Ritsuko thought, _only this is less dangerous for people._

She watched as Shinji's Mewtwo used its Psychic attack again, building up energy in a similar way as his adversary, this Seiryu Shores person's Throh augmented its own strength by flexing its muscles.

 _What is he doing?_ The faux-blond wondered.

-x-

This was only a move they had tried once before, but Shinji and Master knew it had its advantages. By letting the energy for Psychic build up, the force behind it raised to a level that made it a hit that would force the enemy to quit fighting them.

"They're letting the energy build up," went Kensuke in revelation to what was happening.

"Is that an enhancement move?" Asuka asked him.

"No, it's a creative method. Building the energy for the attack will make it more powerful. Shinji and Master did this once before. Just once before."

"It must be a last resort move," said Misato.

"Eevo," the Eevee responded; she had seen this attack herself…and who it had been used on to save others that her trainer set on better paths.

"Ha-ha-ha! You can build up that energy until you're gray in the face," Seiryu chuckled, "but it won't do you any good if it doesn't hit its mark! Throh! Let's end this part of the battle! Use your Superpower and overwhelm them!"

"Throh!" Throh shouted, flexing its muscles again as it glowed blue.

It then charged towards Master, who could do nothing as his Psychic attack's energy continued to build up, leaving him open to the enemy.

"Get ready," said Shinji; this was going to be a calculated move. "Wait for it."

Throh continued to charge towards Master, its arms raised up to make it an intimidating force to be reckoned with.

"Almost there."

Seiryu could feel the excitement and very power building between himself and Shinji. It felt like a scene in a play or film, with the background music welling up and intensifying as the combatants faced off for the final time. He was hoping for greater excitement, not only for himself, but for his Pokemon, as well. This was, after all, the greatest match they were experiencing so far. Probably even the very best of them.

"Throh!" Throh yelled.

Everyone watching was silent, waiting for Shinji's Mewtwo to do something.

Misato, both Shinji's guardian and his Eevee, became worried with Shinji's patience and Master's Psychic attack energy buildup.

Asuka and Rei were starting to wonder if their displaced friend was starting to become insane.

Hikari got so tense that she practically tightened her left hand on Toji's right hand, causing him to scream out in pain.

"Aaaaurgh! Shinji, do something!" He howled.

"Now! Psychic!" Shinji commanded.

Master unleashed his attack upon Throh at the same time as it unleashed its Superpower attack.

BOOM! An explosion of energy came and unleashed a dust cloud that covered everything and everyone within the stadium for several moments.

-x-

"Oh, my God!" Antonio gasped, never seeing such power unleashed like that before in any of the posted footage or recorded footage from before the blackout.

"He could definitely be a Pokemon Master one day," went Fuyutsuki, expressing his opinion on just how powerful Shinji felt right now. "The very best."

-x-

 _Forget being the best trainer over there,_ thought Ritsuko, grateful that the screens were still showing the broadcast. _He could be the king of Japan, no, the whole world over here if he wanted._

As the dust settled, the people on the streets and sidewalks were stunned anticipation over the outcome.

-x-

"Kami, that was intense," went Kensuke as he shielded his eyes from the eyes.

"And dangerous," added Misato.

"Eee," her namesake Eevee added.

The dust disappeared, revealing both Master and Throh standing ten feet across from each other, panting as the sense of fatigue made itself known on them.

Shinji, also looking severely fatigued, panted as he held onto his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Seiryu, the same as Shinji, held his knees as he did the same.

"Quite the gamble, Shinji," he told his opponent. "You intentionally had your Pokemon build up its Psychic attack's energy to increase its offensive strength as a counter to my Throh's raised attack factor. Makes for an exceptional bang with unleashed."

"Yes," Shinji responded. "It's very exceptional…except I only use buildup moves as an absolute last resort on account of their dangers. I consider them to be double-edged swords. Now, it's a matter of what happens next."

As Master felt some strength return to him, he had to admit to himself that, even one of his enhanced forms, he was facing an opponent that had worked just as hard as Shinji had trained him to get to where they were. There was no doubt at all that there were bound to be more opponents that were just as strong…or even stronger.

"Throh… Throh… Throh…" Throh panted…and then fell backwards. "Throh…"

The referee looked over at Throh and declared, "Throh is unable to continue! Mewtwo wins!"

The crowd cheered as Shinji won another battle in another spectacular way.

"Man, Shinji's unbelievable!" Toji shouted.

"Eevo!"

"Now, it's just Salamence, and this match ends in his favor," Misato sighed as the boy's Eevee cheered for her trainer to win.

Seiryu recalled his Throh and replaced the ball with his Salamence's, wondering if he still had a chance to win this match at all.

"Seiryu!" Shinji shouted over to him. "Play this match out! No effort, no greatness!"

"Heh! After hearing that, I can't throw in the towel now."

He unleashed his Salamence, which looked rested enough to keep going.

"Sala!" It growled.

"I need to recoup before I fall, Shinji," Master told him.

"Yeah, you seriously need the rest, Master," he agreed with him, holding up his Ultra Ball. "I know just the Pokemon to continue and win this. Return."

His Mewtwo turned to light and returned to the ball, and he replaced it with another Ultra Ball.

"I think he's going to use the Pokemon he substituted his Eevee for," said Rei.

"Either that or he's going to use his Charizard or Zapdos," suggested Asuka.

"And now, it's all or nothing for Shinji!" One of the male announcers stated to the stadium. "Which of his remaining Pokemon will he summon to face Seiryu's Salamence?"

"With his sense of unpredictability, we're likely in for quite a surprise," the female announcer considered. "We've seen all but his sixth Pokemon for this match."

 _Okay, Master, Rei and Hikari of Light, this is all for you, Asuka and Sandabado,_ Shinji thought, throwing the ball out onto the field. "Come on out… Gaurdian!"

The Ultra Ball opened and unleashed his sixth Pokemon, his Eevee's substitute for this match.

Seiryu was left speechless by the new creature on the field, unable to believe his luck at witnessing such sight.

The new Pokemon was some sort of whitish-silver, draconic chimera with bluish-black spikes, plates, and a streamlined body with large wings resembling hands.

"Oh! OH!" The announcers raised their voices as the crowds gasped in excitement. "What an unexpected treat tonight, people! For his sixth Pokemon, Shinji has chosen a Lugia! Another Legendary Pokemon in his possession!"

-x-

Even though he was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of the cruiser, Gendo could still see the broadcasted Pokemon League match his son was in, and couldn't believe that the creature he had summoned just now was viewed as another type of creature of legendary proportions, meaning that it was another powerfully-considered one.

 _All these different creatures that are considered rare and powerful in his possession, and he can't even bother to find the two he needs to get back to this world?!_ He thought, losing his temper over his belief that Shinji was simply wasting his time with his own interests instead of focusing solely on returning to this plane of existence. _If he wasn't so necessary, I'd cast him aside like before!_

"Daddy, Daddy!" He heard a little boy say to someone near the police cruiser. "Look at how big that Pokemon is! It's bigger than a bus!"

"I know, and its wings, they look like large hands," the boy's father expressed. "And it's amazing that this young man was able to catch it, to tame it."

This was all making Gendo fume like crazy over his son's current status. The more people spoke of his adventures, the more they discussed the type of Pokemon he had obtained, the gym or league matches he had participated in, the more this father grew to resent his son. And he wanted to see him suffer at the hands of an Eva-related situation, such as facing an Angel with no aid.

"Damn you, Third Child!" He shouted out. "Damn you!"

-x-

Some of the people in the stadium had read stories about Lugia and how it was often viewed as the cause of a vicious storm that lasted forty days long ago, while others had see pictures of the Diving Pokemon, the so-called "guardian of the seas" and "beast of the sea", knowing what it looked like. And some were stunned by the mere fact that Shinji had a Lugia! It was like the boy was training Pokemon on a completely different level than others if he had some of the rarest and most unlikely of them.

"I read your profile, but I didn't expect you to use a Lugia," Seiryu said to Shinji. "Today's been a lucky day to face four Pokemon you don't often encounter anywhere in the world."

"Just as I read your profile, yet I didn't focus on some of the Pokemon mine just faced," Shinji responded. "My choice of Guardian, however, was based on your profile. No starters."

Seiryu's eyes widened before returning to normal…and he nodded in understanding.

"Not many people get it due to the fact that I don't broadcast it. I respect people that value their first Pokemon. They're the primal to our bonds with our Pokemon in the future. Even when they're no longer there, they still influence your relationships with your other Pokemon."

Shinji nodded, and their match resumed.

"Salamence, use your Dragon Claw!" Seiryu commanded.

"Mence!" Salamence roared as it took to the sky, its front left claw glowing.

"Block it with Hydro Pump, Guardian!" Shinji told his Lugia.

"Rrrrrrrrrrrrring!" Guardian roared, unleashing a stream of intense water at the Salamence, knocking it away onto the ground.

"Sal…" Salamence grunted as it got back up.

"Are you okay, Salamence?" Seiryu asked it.

"Sal!" It responded, showing its tenacity.

"Hyper Beam!"

Opening its mouth, the Dragon Pokemon charged up its new move to deal in a world of hurt for the Lugia that knocked it out of the sky.

"Hyper Beam?" Misato asked Kensuke.

"It's a Normal-Type move that's extremely powerful, but comes with repercussions," he explained to her. "After it's used, the Pokemon that used it won't be able to attack again until it rests for a while, leaving it vulnerable."

"Could a Hyper Beam…hurt Guardian?" Hikari asked.

"Not if Guardian is stronger than Salamence…and Shinji trained Guardian to be stronger than it was before he caught it."

But this was only a theory until they saw it for sure. There was always the possibility that Shinji's Lugia wasn't strong enough to contend with a trained Pokemon from a different region.

"Aeroblast, Guardian!" Shinji shouted.

Guardian opened its mouth as a bluish energy gathered around it while a whirlwind formed at its feet.

BLAST! Both Pokemon unleashed their beam attacks and they collided into each other.

An explosion came seconds later, resulting in a standoff between the two.

"Uh-oh," went Seiryu; he didn't anticipate a stalemate between the two attacks, and now his Salamence was at a disadvantage due to the Hyper Beam repercussions. "Brace yourself, Salamence!"

"Sal!"

 _Maybe we can end this with Extrasensory,_ Shinji thought, hoping to take advantage of the window of vulnerability Seiryu's Salamence had. "Here goes! Guardian, finish this with Extrasensory!"

Guardian's body glowed with a golden aura.

 _Oh, no!_ Seiryupanicked; his Salamence might've recovered some strength, but it was nowhere near full strength. _If that attack is super effective, the battle will be lost._

But he had been rattled.

Guardian's Extrasensory had accumulated enough energy to envelop Salamence in the golden aura, being lifted off its feet.

"Sal…" It grunted.

"Rrrrrr!" Guardian roared as it telekinetically threw Salamence backwards at such speed that it smashed right into the side of the nearest wall at the base of the stadium's interior, resulting in a small dust cloud as it fell back down.

Once it cleared, Salamence stood with a few bruises on its back and legs, still showing that it could continue…or at least look intimidating enough for endgame battles.

"Sal… Sal…" It grunted as it slowly returned to the field. "Sal!"

"Tenacious," Shinji praised. "For a minute, I thought I had Guardian go too far unintentionally."

"Dragon Pokemon are among some of the most enduring," said Seiryu to him. "To train even just one is bitter work…"

"But the results are more than worth it in the end," Shinji cut him off. "Yes, it's all true."

The balance of power in this match definitely seemed to be in Shinji's favor. His Lugia had evaded a Hyper Beam with its Aeroblast and was still in top form while Salamence was barely hanging on with the bit of energy it had left in its reserves.

 _But if it's strong enough to get off at least another Hyper Beam, I have to have Guardian avoid it as much as possible,_ thought Shinji.

The whole stadium was silent when Salamence stood up to Lugia…and then the people gasped when it fell onto its right side.

"Salamence," it groaned, laying its head to the ground.

The referee went over to check it and concluded that it was beaten.

"Salamence is unable to continue," he announced to the entire stadium. "The victor of this match is Shinji Ikari!"

The crowd cheered for Shinji's success whilst Seiryu recalled his Salamence.

"That was quite the match, Shinji Ikari," he told the victor. "My greatest match so far. Congratulations on your victory and advancement to the Elite Four."

"The best match I've ever had since we got here, Seiryu Shores," Shinji responded. "You're a great trainer. I hope we meet again someday."

"Likewise," Seiryu told him, and gave him the right thumb gesture. "Don't you dare quit."

Shinji gestured with his right thumb as his Pokemon in their Poke Balls burst free and congratulated him on his success.

"This path I'm on only leads one way…and there's no way I can quit. Until next time we meet."

"Grrr!" The Charizard nicknamed after Asuka growls

"Rrraurgh!" His Gyarados nicknamed after Rei roars.

"Huuurgh!" The Zapdos Sandabado caws.

"Mew," chirped the Mew after Hikari. _You did well, Shinji. You never faltered, never gave in._

"Well done, Shinji," added his Mewtwo.

"Hmm," finished his Lugia.

"Thank you, each of you. You all did great out there." Shinji told his Pokemon, grateful to them.

Seiryu smiled and walked away. It would be over another year before he could participate in the Sinnoh League again. Until then, he had to train his Pokemon to be stronger than they were this year.

-x-

"Shinji, that was incredible!" Toji praised his friend while at the Pokemon Center. "Your crew conquered out there!"

"Nice skill out there," Asuka confessed, truly impressed by the trainer's hard work.

"Congrats on your advancement to the top, Ikari-Kun," Rei expressed.

"Thank you, thank you," Shinji responded, "but the praise should really go to my Pokemon. I couldn't have gotten this far without any of them."

"Eevo!" His Eevee expressed, sitting on the table beside her trainer. "Eee!"

Shinji chuckled and then scratched the back of her head.

"I must be honest, though," went Misato to him, "watching you out there tonight, never giving up on winning the match, facing two of Mr. Shores' Pokemon that you've never seen before, and always trying to find a way to show the world that you're one of the best, one of the very best, in fact… It's like you've gone from being a simple person…to a god incarnate among people. You just so powerful and capable of anything."

He nodded in acceptance of her belief and responded, "Anyone who treats Pokemon with trust and love, that is willing to adapt to how they behave and put in the effort equal to their commitment bringing out their best can reach the same level as I have currently. Still, one of the best in the world, not the best in the world…is recognition I can live with obtaining."

Ding-Ping! The announcement sound that someone's Pokemon had been fully mended made itself heard, and the group were wondering if it was Shinji's that were back in top form.

"The Elite Four now, huh?" Hikari questioned. "Best of luck to you when you face them."

"Luck…and conviction," Shinji declared.

To be continued…

A/N: And here it is, people. Did any of you ever doubt that Shinji would lose? Or that he would choose his Lugia like that? Or face two Pokemon from a place he has yet to visit?


	22. Elite Four, Three, Two and One

Creation began on 12-23-17

Creation ended on 08-06-18

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Elite Four, Three, Two and One

A/N: To meet and defeat the elite is a goal worth dreaming about.

"…Hey, you're the guy whose son went missing and ended up in that other world that got posted all over YouTube, aren't you?" A man in a separate cell asked Gendo as he recovered from the effects of alcoholism last night. "Yeah, you're him! Why are you in here?"

"Disturbing the peace," Gendo stated.

"What, your son being a celebrity caused you jealousy or something?"

"I am not jealous of some petulant child."

"It sounds like you are if you got thrown in here for disturbing the peace. Hey, you're Gendo Ikari! You're the bastard everyone says killed your wife and got away with it!" Another guy in a separate cell shouted. "Man, your kid is a superstar in the making! He's even better than you, and he ain't a scientist or a politician! The people love him!"

A police officer came over and unlocked the cell Gendo was in.

"The broadcast of your son's match with his most recent opponent ended quite spectacularly," he told him. "He's going up against this group called the Elite Four now. I got four grand on him beating all four of them."

"He isn't some hero or role model," Gendo retorted as he got up and stepped out of the cell. "He's just a brat that got lost and is currently taking advantage of his displacement."

"And you can't be proud of what he has done so far? A lot of kids do strange things that don't fit in with their parents' plans for them, and that's if they even have any plans for them. Some fathers want their sons to be politicians when they'd rather be chefs, some women want their daughters to be dancers when they just want to be doctors. What did you want for your son?"

"To do as he's told when he's told."

"That's stupid."

-x-

"Toji, did you just sneak some of my Pokemon food that belongs to Misato into your mouth?" Shinji asked Toji, noticing that he was a little too close to the food bowl belonging to his Eevee in his hotel suite with everyone the morning they left the Pokemon Center.

"Suzuhara!" Hikari expressed, feeling like he was stealing from the Eevee.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to the trainer and his Evolution Pokemon. "It tastes so good. In fact, it tastes like you made it."

"Well, I did make it," Shinji confessed, reaching into his bag and pulling out a canister with a picture of an Eevee on it. "Pokemon are able to eat human food, but they shouldn't do so all the time. I found out why when Misato ate my last slice of pizza during our time in Saffron City in the Kanto Region four years ago. She got the stomach flu and spent the next two days in the Pokemon Center while I was training Hyuga, Ibuki and Shigeru to face Sabrina, the psychic Gym Leader. They don't get the same degree of nutrition from human food that we do, so I buy Pokemon food and make it myself whenever I go shopping. People admit that they like eating Pokemon food, too, depending upon the way it tastes."

"Oh, really?" Asuka asked, and then took one of the kibble-like pieces of Pokemon food from Misato's food bowl to taste for herself. "Hmm? Hmm… This is actually good. Did you really make this?"

"Yes, it isn't all that difficult. Cooking isn't all that different from training Pokemon; both take time to get good at and have to be something you enjoy. If you enjoy what you do, you get good at it."

Shinji sat down at the table and opened the canister and refilled Misato's bowl with extra food before petting her head, earning a purr from her. Then, he offered some to the others.

Kensuke partook of the food and admitted to almost forgetting the taste of it.

Rei tried some, as well and stated that the taste was quite vegan.

"Would you care for some, Misato?" Shinji offered his guardian.

"Sure," she answered and accepted. "Whoa… These are good. You really outdid yourself, Shinji."

"Happy Pokemon are at their best when they have a good diet," he praised.

"Hey, Shinji, this Elite Four," Toji expressed, "what type of Pokemon do they specialize in?"

"Each member specializes in their signature type preference," he explained, having studied the individual members. "Aaron uses Bug-Types. Bertha specializes in Ground-Types. Flint is a Fire-Type Pokemon Trainer, and Lucian is a Psychic-Type trainer. Each member is at the top of their game."

"You will do your best, Ikari-Kun," said Rei, encouraging him.

"Thank you, Ayanami."

"We'll be rooting for you," Hikari added in.

"We're behind you, all the way," added Misato, as well.

-x-

"…A night in jail for disturbing the peace during the broadcast?" Ritsuko questioned Gendo as he showed up in Central Dogma for the day. "Couldn't you just watch it with suspense like everyone else did?"

"It's irrelevant," he stated firmly.

"I checked the reviews on YouTube and other sites. In the court of public opinion, the people want to see more of Shinji during the event he's involved in. They want to see him win it."

Gendo walked down the hall to his office and fumed over how the people were deluding themselves with these blogs and videos of the Third Child. He wanted to hold the Gioavnni Corporation responsible for all this, but it felt easier to blame his son because he got lost and was just taking his merrily time coming back, diverting his focus by facing other people to show his skills.

-x-

"…Mew, mew," Hikari of Light uttered as she flew around the training field in front of Shinji and the other Pokemon after breakfast.

"It looks like she's feeling better," he heard his Mew's namesake say.

"Yeah, but against the creepy crawler member of the Elite Four, I'll keep her benched along with Master and Guardian…because Psychic-Types can have trouble with Bug-Types to a degree."

"But isn't Guardian also a Flying-Type, which is strong against Bug-Types?"

"Yeah, which gives him an edge against them if they were just Bug-Types. But Aaron's Bug Pokemon are likely to be more than that. Dual Flying and Poison-Types are possible. What's more is that he's a member of the Elite Four; it won't be an easy feat to beat even one of them, especially if it's a consecutive match."

This, of course, reminded the Class Rep. that the Pokemon League was hard on those that lost at any point during consecutive matches. If Shinji lost even just one match against a member of the Elite Four (and it didn't matter if it was the first match or the last match), the loss of his spot in the league and a chance to meet and face the current champion was absolute. And if any trainer wasn't allowed to switch out their on-hand Pokemon for their other Pokemon like Shinji periodically did, that would've been more difficult.

"Will you still be allowed to switch out your Pokemon before each match?!" They heard Toji ask him as he showed up outside the Pokemon Center.

"If I couldn't, then my concerns would be more than heavy," Shinji expressed as he answered.

"So…your Charizard, Entei, Moltres, Guardian, and Eevee are your best bet against this bug expert."

"Speaking of Eevee, where is Misato?"

"She's being brushed by Asuka inside. It looks like she trusts her enough to let her brush her fur."

Shinji left momentarily just to see how his Eevee was being treated by the redhead, and was relieved to see Misato being groomed as gently as possible by Asuka, who definitely seemed to be enjoying the brushing of the small creature.

"I'm not sure exactly how he kept you well-groomed over four years," he heard her say to Misato, "but Shinji's really lucky to have you for a companion."

"Eee!" Misato purred.

"Maybe next time, we should try to bring Pen-Pen," he heard his Eevee's namesake say behind him.

"Yeah, that'd be great," he agreed with her. "We'd have the whole crew here, then."

-x-

"If animals with positive relationships with people are capable of subconscious travel between dimensions, it'd be just as interesting," said Antonio, observing the scene between Ms. Katsuragi and Shinji. "The possibilities are all but limitless."

"And after last night's broadcast, your research is likely to expand and intensify," Fuyutsuki stated as he prepared to return to NERV. "I shall return later."

"We look forward to seeing you again."

-x-

"Tomorrow, we go up against Aaron and his bug horde, friends," Shinji told his Pokemon as he finished training with them for the day, three hours after switching out his Aggron, Zapdos and Gyarados for his Moltres, Pidgeot and Entei, as well as returning his Mew so that he was back to the six-Pokemon limit. "I see each of you and I see the best you can be because we all put in the effort to bring out our potential. Just do your best while having fun out there."

"Pidgeo," Kensuke chirped, spreading his wings.

"Eh-heh-heh! The bugs are gonna love you guys."

Sitting on a bench across the field from the trainer and his Pokemon, Asuka, Rei and the others watched as Shinji bonded with his large power houses for tomorrow's match against the first of the Elite Four.

"Things are gonna get scorched," said Toji.

"Yep," Hikari added.

-x-

"I'm guessing the broadcast from last night has the whole of NERV in a cheerful mood," Fuyutsuki stated to Ritsuko as he noticed half of Central Dogma reviewing the recorded footage of Shinji's most recent match in the Sinnoh League.

"Yeah," she responded. "Believe it or not, if Giovanni broadcasts the next match, everyone's going to want to put down everything just to watch Shinji go up against his next opponent for a shot at the current champion."

"Maybe they'll broadcast it again. Maybe."

"Ikari's throwing a fit towards his son so much that he got locked up last night for disturbing the peace during the broadcast."

"He must've been the only one who wanted to see Shinji lose."

"My protégé has started a pool on him for his next match."

"Is that so?"

"I put in thirty on him to win again. One of the maintenance workers is willing to go double or nothing if Shinji wins the next match after."

"Since he's now going up against the Elite Four, that should amuse a lot of people."

"The Elite Four. The best and strongest of the Pokemon League. They clearly represent power while the challengers represent potential."

-x-

"…I didn't think I'd find you here again, Seiryu Shores," said Shinji to his recent opponent as he strayed onto the field of one of the stadiums late at night with his Eevee.

"After losing to you, I figured I come back here to take my mind off the defeat," Seiryu explained to the young man. "Still, it was a great match. Be proud of your opponent and take joy in their success."

"There was a question I meant to ask you, but I don't want to intrude of personal matters."

"There's nothing left that is hardly personal. Ask away."

"Well, I… I looked at your profile before our match…and I saw that your Mudkip was no longer with you. If it's alright that I ask, what happened to it?"

Seiryu looked away from the trainer and his Eevee and sighed; he had put the traumatic memory behind him, but it was a pain that lingered every now and then. And then he turned back to face them.

"She was sick," he answered Shinji. "The day after I got her for the first time, she wasn't feeling well. I took her to the Pokemon Center…and found that she wasn't as healthy as she was thought to be. Nobody noticed she had a weak heart."

Shinji bowed his head out of sympathy to Seiryu.

"The people that gave her to me offered to exchange her for another Mudkip, but I told them no. She was my first, and I couldn't just exchange her like she were a broken appliance or something. I stayed by her side until the very end. Three days afterward, I took her to the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town in the Kanto Region. Have you been there before?"

"No," he answered. "It's one of the only parts of Kanto I've not ventured to with my Pokemon."

"I buried her there, thanked her for introducing me to the world of Pokemon, and I go back to see her every year. It was just after I stepped out of the tower, however, that I met my second Pokemon, a Ghastly. I was never sure, but it might've been sent to me by my Mudkip to be a companion for me. Or even the soul of my Mudkip herself reborn as a Ghost Pokemon. Do you think it's possible, to be sent Pokemon by other Pokemon from beyond the grave or to meet your first Pokemon that has returned in another form, different from the one they had in life?"

Shinji thought for a moment and responded, "Yes, it's possible. The bond between Pokemon and their trainers is a powerful force, triggered by the initial relationship made between the trainer and the individual Pokemon that sets them on the path they walk down."

"Eevo," Misato added.

"Best of luck to you and your Pokemon during your match against Aaron of the Elite Four," Seiryu expressed to them as he extended his right hand to Shinji. "I'll be cheering you on."

"Thank you," Shinji praised and he shook his hand.

-x-

"…The unauthorized broadcast that occurred in Tokyo-3 and went viral across the world has people desiring more of the Third Child's prowess with these…Pokemon," went SEELE 06 to the rest of the council during their next meeting.

"The Giovanni Corporation's research will likely expand with this revelation," added SEELE 11. "The Pokemon used by the Third Child were powerful and were able to overwhelm the ones used by his opponent. And based on recent events, the one he seemed to have recently caught, this…Mew, is the rarest and most powerful of Pokemon."

"Ikari's son has gained much recognition through his displacement in this other world and is being viewed as among the most prodigious of individuals," said SEELE 01. "And to know which creatures he needs to find his way back to this world, but to refuse to try and find them to the exclusion of other activities because he believes he can't rush his way to the desired outcome. He has all the time and space he needs over there…and while here, we may have an increase in our own timetable due to the actions of the Eva pilots and this Palkia."

"They didn't kill the last Angel," stated SEELE 04, "which leaves us at a standstill for the time being so long as it's trapped in between two spacial rifts with no way out."

"Unless it's destroyed, the next Angel will likely not show up," SEELE 09 informed them. "As problematic as this seems, we may be able to use this delay to our advantage. We can begin construction on the Mass Production Evangelions necessary for the Instrumentality Project."

"This is true, provided the Angel currently indisposed of is incapable of changing its imprisoned status," added SEELE 07. "Shall we do so?"

"All in favor?" SEELE 01 questioned the council.

-x-

The people were wild with excitement and expectation! The weather was sunny and clear. It was a day of progression to greater heights in the Sinnoh League.

"You've been causing quite a stir since your arrival, Mr. Ikari," said Aaron to Shinji on the field. "I'll be honest, I was looking forward to meeting you. You're the only trainer that has gotten this far this year. You have much to be proud of."

"Thank you, but it's not just me that should be proud of getting this far," Shinji stated. "My Pokemon got me here, and I'm indebted to them all the time, forever grateful to them."

"And that right there, where you praise your Pokemon, always giving them more recognition than you yourself also deserve. You're so connected to them. May this match be a great one."

Shinji held out one of his Poke Balls and responded, "Against any trainer, any time of the day, every match is a great one."

Aaron took out one of his balls and threw it onto the field, unleashing his first choice.

From out the ball was unleashed a large, brownish creature with a large pair of, spiked horns on the top of its head.

 _A Pinsir,_ Shinji gasped; it had been a long time since he had ever faced a trainer that owned one.

-x-

"It looks like Shinji doesn't know which of his Pokemon to use against Pinsir," said Asuka to the others as they sat in the audience, watching Shinji look at two balls in his hands.

"No," went Kensuke, "he just wants to save his strongest members as a last resort. He knows which Pokemon to use first to deal with Pinsir."

They watched as Shinji threw a ball and unleashed his Charizard, which seemed to intimidate the Bug Pokemon due to her fiery nature.

"He might save his other hotheads for later," Toji suspected.

"Begin!" The referee announced, and the match between Shinji and Aaron of the Sinnoh Elite Four began in earnest.

-x-

"The signal broadcast is strong and stable, sir," Antonio was informed.

"Thank you, this is good," he responded as he observed the match between Shinji and his latest opponent taking place. "That is one large pincher."

"There will always Bug Pokémon as large as people," went Palkia as Shinji had his Charizard unleash a Fire Blast at the Pinsir, defeating it in one attack. "Mmm… That ended rather quickly."

"Shinji is…rather fast now," said a man keeping one of the cameras aimed at Palkia.

-x-

As Aaron's Pinsir fell, the Elite Four trainer was stunned that one of his strongest Pokémon was instantly defeated by a Charizard with a disability that should have been its downfall.

"Pinsir is unable to continue," the referee announced. "Charizard wins."

The crowd cheered for Shinji as Aaron recalled his Pinsir.

"Impressive, Shinji," Aaron expressed, selecting a new Poke Ball to throw. "I don't think any of my Bug Pokemon can best your Pokemon."

"Oh, now, don't give up until you've tried everything you know," Shinji responded. "You're the first of the Elite Four I've come to face in any league, and I forward to facing each of you at your best. To simply win a match after only one victory is somewhat hollow."

"Which is why I switched up my roster today to face you," he revealed. "Come on out, Pupitar!"

From out his second Poke Ball came a Pokemon that Shinji hadn't seen since his Larvitar had fully evolved during his time in the Johto Region: A Rock/Ground-Type chrysalis by the name of Pupitar, probably Aaron's attempt at playing defense. But if his could move at a pace much faster than Toji had been able to when he evolved, then its defensive measures could be offensive, too.

"Well, I guess a Pupitar would be similar to a Bug Pokemon since they are cocooned before they become imago," Shinji stated, but his Charizard spread out her wings and flexed her claws; Asuka wasn't going to be intimidated by a Pokemon whose only type advantage meant that it could withstand the heat a little more than usual.

"Oh, try and survive this," Aaron chuckled. "Pupitar, Tackle!"

"Putar!" It grunted, and shot off the ground like a bullet, aimed for Asuka's middle!

BASH! It collided with her like running into a wall, sending her falling to the ground.

"Grr," she grunted, feeling weakened from being hit so hard, but still in the game.

"Whoa!" Shinji gasped, not expecting that. "Bail out! Bail out for now, Asuka! Bail out!"

Asuka got up and was immediately recalled back into her ball.

"Did you see that?!" Hikari gasped. "It shot at her like a bullet!"

"Rock and Ground-Type Pokemon are strong against Fire and Flying-Types," Toji stated, "so a Pupitar would be the obvious choice against a Charizard."

"So Shinji's gotta try something else that can put a dent in this guy's strategy that uses a Pokemon that isn't an insect," said Misato.

It looked as though Shinji was going to choose another Pokemon when his Eevee got his attention. A brief moment went by…before the Evolution Pokemon jumped onto the field; it seemed Shinji was convinced by the little critter to let her participate in the match.

"And it looks like Shinji's going with his Eevee, whom he hasn't used since his first match here in the Sinnoh League!" The judges revealed.

To be continued…

A/N: I might break this battle Shinji has with each member of the Elite Four down into parts because I'm not sure how to show every battle he has with them, meaning it might just go down the way it did with Red in _Pokemon Origins_. You'll just have to imagine how every unseen battle went as he goes to face the current champion.


End file.
